On June 29, Alexander Lukashenko arrived in China on an unannounced visit. The Belarusian leader's plane landed at Beijing's capital airport, Shoudu, after which an official meeting with the head of the PRC, Xi Jinping, began immediately.
"Historical peak" of relations
During the negotiations, the Chinese leader emphasized the current state of bilateral ties. "Currently, Chinese-Belarusian relations are experiencing a historical peak," stated Xi Jinping. Lukashenko expressed satisfaction with this assessment, noting that he highly values Beijing's positive stance towards Minsk.
Plans for global cooperation
According to the Belarusian president, the main topic of discussion will be the expansion of cooperation between the countries. "This is what we talked about with you. And, perhaps, to some extent, dreamed of on the eve of this global cooperation between Belarus and the People's Republic of China," added Lukashenko.
Context of the visit
This visit was already the seventeenth for Alexander Lukashenko in China. Notably, the trip to the Middle Kingdom took place immediately after his meeting with Vladimir Putin at a private residence in Valdai, details of which were previously revealed by RBC-Ukraine.
Security factor
On the eve of negotiations with Chinese colleagues, Lukashenko publicly demanded that the Russian authorities not drag Belarus into a war against Ukraine. However, despite these statements, the Kremlin continues to look for ways to open a second front, and the Belarusians may be given orders to conduct hostilities for Russia. At the same time, Lukashenko recently promptly turned off the "Shahed" drone repeaters after a tough ultimatum from Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.