Lukashenko invites China to explore new cooperation opportunities amidst sanctions

Belarus invites China to explore additional cooperation opportunities taking into consideration the situation in the region and the sanctions, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Xie Xiaoyong on 14 March, BelTA has learned.

“We should briefly discuss the developments in our region and outline additional ways of cooperation with the People’s Republic of China. At the same time, I want to emphasize that I do not insist that China should be affected in any way and incur losses due to the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus,” the head of state said.

“In this situation, we need to find a cooperation scheme that would suit the interests of the two countries. This is our goal, the goal of the leadership of our country. It has always been like that. Yet, now some things need to be specified. That is what I would like to discuss with you today. I would also ask you to convey our position and our actions in the Central European region in this difficult time to the leadership, the president of the People's Republic of China so that they become better informed about it,” the Belarusian leader said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that relations with China are a top priority of Belarus’ foreign policy and foreign economy. “Foreign economy and foreign policy aspects play a crucial role. We have done a lot on this front in recent years, especially since Xi Jinping became China’s leader. He is a great friend of the Belarusian people. We have developed very good relations with him. During his presidency the Belarusian people have truly learned what China is and what the Chinese people are. Our people have learned who our friends are, and China is among them,” the head of state said.