Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, with both leaders hailing the strengthening relationship between their countries amid growing geopolitical tensions.
According to Belarusian presidential Telegram channel Pul Pervogo, Xi described China-Belarus relations as being at their “historic peak”, highlighting the close cooperation that has developed between the two nations.
Responding to Xi’s remarks, Lukashenko said the current level of bilateral ties reflected what both leaders had previously envisioned for the future of Belarus-China cooperation.
“This is exactly what we talked about before, and perhaps, to some extent, what we had dreamed of on the eve of this global cooperation between Belarus and China,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying.
The Beijing meeting comes just days after Lukashenko held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, underscoring Belarus’ increasingly active diplomatic engagements with its two closest strategic partners.
The visit also takes place against the backdrop of rising tensions between Belarus and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously claimed that he believes Putin is seeking to persuade Lukashenko to expand Belarus’ support for Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Although Belarus has allowed Russian forces to use its territory since the start of the conflict, Lukashenko has repeatedly maintained that Belarusian troops will not directly participate in combat.
The latest meeting is expected to further reinforce political and economic cooperation between Beijing and Minsk as both countries continue to strengthen their strategic partnership amid shifting global alliances.
