Lukashenko in Beijing to strengthen relations between Belarus and China
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi on September 26, 2022. AP - Gavriil Grigorov
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening February 28.
The president will stay in China until Thursday, March 2.
In particular, he must meet Xi Jinping in order to strengthen bilateral relations - trade, investment -, but also to talk about "
acute international challenges
", according to the press release published by the Belarusian press agency.
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The Belarusian leader, in power since 1994, knows the Chinese president very well, having already met him 12 times.
It is also his 12th trip to China.
Like Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko willingly uses the codes and terms of Chinese diplomacy when he comes to Beijing.
As Chinese leaders often do when addressing their distinguished guests, it is the three characters 老朋友 "
Lǎo péngyǒu
", "old friend" in Mandarin, that the Belarusian president used to refer to his Chinese counterpart
in an interview
granted to the Xinhua news agency before his departure.
Strong partnership
The two men met last September in Samarkand, on the sidelines of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit
, reports our correspondent in Beijing,
Stéphane Lagarde.
They then promised to transform their bilateral relations into a “
full-proof global strategic partnership
”.
A qualifier that recalls the “
limitless partnership
” and the “
rock-solid
” alliance between China and Russia.
A close ally of Moscow
, Minsk allowed Russian troops to pass through its territory during the invasion of Ukraine.
Result: Belarus is even more isolated in Europe.
"
Under the pressure of Western sanctions, our people feel a strong friendship for the Chinese people
," Lukashenko told the
New China
agency .
His main objective in coming here is to strengthen economic ties with China.
Belarus was indeed one of the first countries to join the
New Silk Roads
project initiated by Xi Jinping ten years ago.
Trade between the two countries increased by more than 30% last year.
And on the diplomatic level, Minsk welcomed last week the
12-point peace proposal
for Ukraine presented by Beijing - a proposal described by Lukashenko as "
a new and original step which will have a considerable impact
".
For its part, China should renew its political support for Belarus.
During a telephone exchange with his Belarusian counterpart on Friday February 24, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang stressed that China will continue to "oppose any external interference in the internal affairs of Belarus
and unilateral sanctions illegal
”.
In Washington, the meeting makes people cringe.
Minsk has been under
sanctions
since the start of the war in Ukraine, as a rare support for the Russian invasion, Beijing is suspected of wanting to deliver weapons to Moscow.
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Belarus
China
Alexander Lukashenko
Xi Jinping
Russia