Against the backdrop of Putin's announcement of a 170,000-strong military expansion and Zelenskyy's renewed refusal to negotiate peace with Russia, the Russia-Ukraine crisis has left much of Europe uneasy. However, even at such a tense moment, Belarusian ** Lukashenko left his affairs behind and personally visited Beijing on December 3. This has led to a lot of speculation from the outside world: what is Lukashenko's visit to China to talk about?
Since being elected to Belarus in 1994, Lukashenko has visited China 14 times, and in 2023 he visited China twice in just 10 months, which shows that he attaches great importance to the relationship between the two countries. So, what does Lukashenko's recent surprise visit to Beijing mean?Foreign media gave such speculation: Cuba wants to buy advanced Polonaise-M rocket launchers from Belarus. The rocket artillery has a range of up to 300 kilometers, which is enough to hit the territory of the United States.
However, since the Polonaise-M rocket launcher is jointly developed by China and Belarus, and this move may cause dissatisfaction with the United States, Belarus needs to obtain China's consent before **. There seems to be some truth to this statement, but when you think about it, you will find that there are some doubts.
Although Cuba and the United States have always maintained hostile relations, since the visit of Obama to Cuba in 2015, US-Cuban relations have been normalized, and the two countries have not only established diplomatic relations, but also eased the blockade in the economic field. In such a situation, there is no need for Cuba to intervene on its own initiative. After all, the heads of state of the United States and Cuba are about to meet.
In addition, although the Polonaise-M rocket launcher was jointly developed by China and Belarus, according to Belarus, its chassis is based on the chassis of the MZKT-7930 truck produced in Minsk Motor City, so the main patent of this ** belongs to Belarus, and the export of ** does not require the consent of other countries. Interestingly, when Belarus exported Polonaz-m rocket launchers to Azerbaijan, there was no Chinese participatory. The real purpose of Lukashenko's move remains to be seen.
Judging from the current situation, the so-called "Cuba wants to buy rocket artillery jointly produced by China and Belarus" is likely to be just a misunderstanding of the outside world, at least the officials of the two countries have never issued relevant statements. However, Lukashenko's visit to China is also clearly related to what he is more concerned about, namely economic and trade cooperation with China and the "One Belt, One Road" policy. There is no doubt that Belarus is facing increasing economic pressure, and China is the most likely power to lend a helping hand.
As we all know, Belarus is a staunch ally of Russia and has insisted on supporting Russia after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which will inevitably attract retaliatory sanctions from the West. According to data from the Belarusian Ministry of Economy, Belarus has now received more than 1,500 Western sanctions, second only to Russia (more than 14,000), Iran (more than 4,200), Syria (more than 2,600) and North Korea (more than 2,100).
For Belarus, with a population of less than 10 million people, support from outside is crucial because a large number of sanctions from the West will inevitably have a severe impact on the economy. At present, Russia's own economy is experiencing many difficulties, and it is difficult to support other countries. In this case, in order to avoid an economic crisis in Belarus, Lukashenko had to look for other ways out. He made a speech, and it was clear that China had become the new partner he was looking for.
China's economic strength speaks for itself, with a GDP 10 times that of Russia, and as the world's second-largest economy, maintaining good relations with China will help Belarus more easily resist Western sanctions pressure. Not only that, but China and Russia share the same position in resisting Western hegemony, so Belarus can fully rely on China.
The two sides reached more in-depth cooperation, Lukashenko's visit to China and meetings with Chinese leaders, followed by the signing of a series of cooperation agreements, including the continuation of the deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Belarus, the strengthening of cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the promotion of the construction of key projects such as the China-Belarus Industrial Park. In addition, the two sides also exchanged views on international hotspot issues and pledged to support each other on these major issues and oppose interference by any external forces. Lukashenko even said: "If China is strong, Belarus is strong."
Among these cooperation topics, the Belt and Road Initiative is the focus of Lukashenko's attention. Under the framework of China-led economic cooperation, the bilateral ** amount between China and Belarus reached 50 in 2022US$800 million, a year-on-year increase of 33%, a record high. Belarus has profited handsomely from bilateral **, with exports increasing by 65%, significantly easing the pressure on the domestic economy. Therefore, Lukashenko said that in the future, the market for Chinese enterprises will be further opened and cooperation between the two countries in the economic field will be promoted.
Belarus is eager to catch China's economic growth train and believes that it will bring bright prospects for its future. It is worth noting that the United States expressed dissatisfaction with the visit of Belarusian ** Lukashenko to China. Just on December 5, the United States announced new sanctions against Belarus, targeting 11 companies and eight individuals. However, the more opponents oppose, the more we are on the right path. If the United States is unhappy with Sino-Belarusian cooperation, then it may need to adjust to this sentiment.
References: [1] Belarus's second visit to China in the year, China: The two sides maintain close exchanges China Youth Daily. [2] Less than 24 hours after Lukashenko ended his visit to China, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that sanctions would be imposed on Belarus, CCTV Network.