(Yicai Global) Dec. 20 -- Belarus will export beef, chicken, dairy products and starch to China in a USD114 million deal. Belarus is the first Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) country given approval to export beef to China, and the 13th beef exporter to the world's most populous country.

Belarus will ship beef as the first batch of trial export to China this month, and will start frozen chicken exports in January 2018. It has signed a supply contract with China concerning 2,000 tons of starch and is also preparing to export cheese and full-fat dairy products with long shelf life in a pilot program.

The leaders of both countries signed the relevant trade agreement when Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenka paid a three-day official visit to China in May, Russian Sputnik news agency quoted an official of the Belarusian ministry of agriculture and food as saying.

The dairy products export volume of Belarus to China in the first 10 months of 2017 were 10 times higher than the same period last year. Milk powder and 'Ultra High Temperature' (UHT) milk from Belarus have already appeared on supermarket shelves in China.