China assures Lukashenko of support

2023-12-04 20:55:00

In the past year, political trust between the two countries has become stronger, Xi said on Monday during Lukashenko’s visit to Beijing. China also rejects external interference in Belarusian internal affairs. The international situation is turbulent and many things happen unforeseen, Xi said.

During his visit to China, Lukashenko highlighted the close relations between the two countries. “Belarus is, was and will be a reliable partner for China,” Lukashenko said on Monday at the meeting with Xi, according to the Belarusian presidency. “We decided a long time ago that we would cooperate and be friends with China,” he said. This friendship has existed for “more than 30 years”.

Internationale Isolation

The Belarusian long-term ruler Lukashenko has been isolated internationally since the 2020 presidential election, which was classified as fraudulent. The EU, for example, no longer recognizes him as head of state of Belarus and has imposed sanctions. Lukashenko is also considered a loyal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and also supports his war of aggression against Ukraine.

Under pressure from Western punitive measures, Russia and Belarus have made increasing efforts to expand economic relations with China in recent months. China and Belarus are “strategic partners” and maintain close relations, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said on Monday. According to Chinese sources, Belarus has been a partner in Xi’s New Silk Road infrastructure project since 2014. The two countries built an industrial park in Belarus for the equivalent of hundreds of millions of US dollars, in which 111 companies from various industries settled.

According to his office, Lukashenko traveled to Beijing on Sunday to discuss “trade, economy, investment and international cooperation” with Xi. The Belarusian ruler last traveled to China at the end of February. Despite repeated requests from the West, Beijing, as Moscow’s close partner, has not yet officially condemned the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Belarus borders both Ukraine and Russia.