Why Does Chinese Money not Stink for Officials?

Scandalous plant in Sveltahorsk is other strategic mistake.

It has recently become known that Chinese building the plant of the bleached pulp left the enterprise. City dwellers were protesting against the harmful plant which poisoned the air.

How did it happen that the authorities decided to build the plant in the near vicinity of the city? Is there any future for the plant? Why do Chinese investments backfire on the Belarusian authorities?

Charter97.org asked human rights defender from Svetlahorsk, Sviatlana Maslyukova, for comments. She actively participated in resistance to the construction of the plant.

Head of the Strategy analytical centre Leanid Zaika provides comments on both the economic reliability of the project and Chinese investments.

Elena Maslyukova: "We came together and started our resistance"

- Please, tell us about the situation in details. Did the Chinese party really leave the plant?

- Workers at the bleached pulp plant tell that Chinese took away electronic keys. They are responsible for all technological processes there. They could not take computers with them. The Belarusian party has no access to the equipment, only if the system is hacked.

Mass media tried to learn the reason of their departure. We contacted the Director General of OAO Svetlahorsk TSKK" Yury Kruk, but he hung up.

My colleagues and I want to submit the letter to the district administration and the plant to receive comprehensive information.

There is information that the Belarusian party is going to launch the plant in spite of everything. And it cannot be explained why. Will they hire a hacker? What if there are some troubles. Chinese may say: "Sorry, we are not responsible for it. The plant is not transferred for the authority balance yet."

- How can it be that the entire city suffers from harmful emissions, but officials and law enforcement structures persecute activists and say that the plant is safe. Don't they feel the smell?

- You know, it's the matter of price, not smell. I remember words of Vespasianus: "Non olet pecunia!" (The money does not stink! - Charter97.org's note). Their money does not stink as well.

Russian scientists say that even small amounts of methyl mercaptan are damaging to health. Every wise person who uses Wiki can read about emissions and their influence.

- It was informed that Austrian had offered to build a first-rate plant for one billion dollars, but, for some reason, the authorities chose the Chinese enterprise. How could you explain it?

- It's the truth. During one of meetings it was informed that Austrian ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER, which build such plants across the world, offered to build the plant for one billion dollars in Svetlahorsk. Our officials told the price was too high. And they chose China CAMC Engineering Co., LTD.

You know, I've got the feeling that Anatol Tozik, who used to work as Ambassador in China, could stay behind it. It the first project of the Chinese company in the production of bleached pulp. They have no experience. But this project is advantageous for Belarus, because the loan amounts to $860 million. It relates to the Chinese Bank.

The agreement provides for the turn-key construction. It means that the Chinese party should launch the plant. It should operate for three days at full capacity. In October the plant's working capacity equaled to 80%. According to the agreement, the plant was operation during three days.

Chinese stated that they met all requirements and they should have been paid. The Belarusian party noticed many faults, people complain about emissions. Chinese worked for two more days and then took away keys, letters and suspened the operation of the plant.

Today it became known that only five Chinese specialists work at the plant. Others left and explained it with inability to stay in Belarus anymore. Other specialists observe manipulations of Belarusians. It is informed that Belarusians have decided to launch the wood yard. It indicates preparation works of the plant. The bringing into operation of the wood yard means the beginning of the technological process.

- We can see that Belarusians actively fight harmful enterprises. Brest residents carry out rallies every Sunday. Why do ecological protests promote unification of Belarusians?

- Svetlahorsk residents still do not see paralles with the policy line, they just stand for fresh air. But the truth is that politicians' pockets are aften empty. I believe it's nonsense to make money on our health and health of future generations.

For some reason, Chinese who build plants in Dobrush, Svetlahorsk, Krasnoselsk do not care about our environment. As soon as the environmental law is violated in Belarus, it causes resistance. Now it happens in Brest. All honour to the people who take to the square. It happens here in Yakimova Sloboda. People demand to stop the construction of the harmful plant. It's not only the environment which is threatened, but life and health of people.

When the information about the construction of a harmful plant surfaced in 2012, all reasonable people consolidated. We came together and started our resistance.

However, there are people who wait and those who fight. Let's take a look at surveys. All people are aware of the danger posed by the enterprise. It's a big plus.

We have spent much time trying to get the authorization for the rally, but we received only denials. We sued, but the verdict was negative. September 15 we held the rally. Nobody believed that people would come, but around 150 people came. It proves Belarusians' ability to unite.

Leanid Zaika: "People who have never been to China glamorize it."

- The Belarusian authorities increasingly seek money in the Celestial Kingdom. How do you treat Chinese investments in Belarus?

- The thing is that China has intended to make billions of dollars here and use it wisely later. But it has failed. In the 90s I met with some political figures of Taiwan. They intended to invest billions in the economy of Belarus. They had large-scale projects. Now the continental China tackles the issue. We are like a small bone to it, which can be either swallowed or gnawed. The Chinese Communist Party treats the Belarusian authorities as associates and it supports economic relations with our country. As for the project, it has been initially failing.

I told and wrote about it. The transfer to paperless revolution is taking place. Belarus also experiences these processes. Once I visited the head of Priorbank. There were no papers on his desk and he was proud of it.

Papers are also falling into oblivion. Well, perhaps some pensioners still read them. People do not read books, especially the young. Everyone turns to electronic media. When that project appeared, a scientific assessment proved hopelessness of the enterprise. It's the strategic fault, as well as Chinese vehicles.

It gets worse and worse as it goes on. Other enterprises in this sphere faced straits. Negative attitude of people towards environmental consequences of the production also contributes to it.

To put it mildly, China is not very advanced country. I used to live there for a while and read lectures. Those who have never been there glamorize China. In reality, it's not rich country. There is much propaganda mess. But China is not a technological giant.

- It's not the first time when Chinese investments backfire on our country. Does it turn out that China does not build modern and environmentally friendly enterprises here?

- They do not know how to do it. It's like you order a bear to drive a racing car. China just copies American and Japanese technologies.

If you go to China, especially to rural areas, you will not mention any technological breakthrough there. Though there are great places there. For example, Guangzhou, which develops foreign technologies.

China has passed a certain path, but bleached pulp is not the best example. Belarus needs to think over robotics, 3D-printing. Chinese are a success in this sphere, but they do not share it with us. For example, China prints houses (project amounts at $1 billion) for Saudi Arabia. I do not see anything of this kind in Belarus.

China has achieved progress in production of e-vehicles. They produce everything: starting from electric-bikes and ending with electric-trucks. Let Belarus produce at least an electric-bike. And name it "Country, go ahead". And, of course, IT-sphere, though we are also good at it.

People who work in the Belarusian government are people of the regional mind and they have never lived abroad. They sip knowledges only at "Travelers' Club" and their visits to Turkey and Egypt. Unfortunately, this is so kind of civilization lagging of the Belarusian elite.