Фото: Zoomlion
Chinese special equipment manufacturer Zoomlion continued developing its business in Belarus together with MAZ even after sanctions were imposed on the Belarusian automotive giant. The Belarusian Investigative Center reports. The investigation was prepared in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), with support from the Rabochy Ruch initiative.
In 2015, a resident company, Zoomlion Bel-Rus, was registered in the industrial park. The company began producing cranes based on MAZ chassis.
The Chinese corporation owned the Belarusian company through Zoomlion Powermole and Hong Kong-based Zoomlion H.K. Holding. However, between 2021 and 2023, MAZ was one of the company’s co-owners.
Investigators obtained documents confirming that British-based Zoomlion Powermole transferred a $10 million loan to the Belarusian company. This took place in November 2021, four months after the European Union imposed sanctions on MAZ. The sanctions created a risk for the Chinese giant’s British subsidiary, although EU sanctions did not formally apply in the United Kingdom.
In March 2023, MAZ was also added to the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions list. After that, the automaker withdrew from the ownership of Zoomlion Bel-Rus, while payments for chassis began to be made through third-party companies.
The BIC has documents confirming that payments for the supply of chassis under previously concluded contracts began to be made through the Zhitkovichi Engine-Building Plant. This was done using assignments of claims — a mechanism under which the right to collect a debt is transferred from one party to another. In 2024, a working meeting was held at the enterprise with the participation of then-Deputy Prime Minister Petr Parkhomchyk. The meeting resulted in an agreement to supply chassis through Bobruiskagromash.