Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has visited China twice in 2023, which has attracted widespread attention from the outside world. Why does this leader, known as "Europe's last leader", come to Beijing so often? What are the highlights and hints of his meeting with our leaders? What is the change and significance of his commitment to China?
Time of visit: Sudden
Lukashenko's current visit to China comes on a two-day working visit to Beijing without any prior news. This is different from his previous Xi of visiting China, where he usually announces his itinerary in advance or combines it with other international events. For example, his state visit at the end of February this year took place after attending a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). And this time, he did not have any other arrangements, but made a special trip to Beijing to hold a bilateral summit with the leader of our country. This shows that he has increased the importance of China, and it also reflects the increased domestic and foreign pressures he faces.
Level of visit: low-key and high-standard
Lukashenko's visit to China is a working visit, not an official visit. This means that he was not formally welcomed and there was no banquet in the Great Hall of the People. However, China still took out a high-standard treatment, sent Vice Minister Ma Zhaoxu to the airport to greet him, rolled out a red carpet on the spot, and sent flowers to a special person, and did not neglect half a point because of the different levels of visits.
Moreover, the meeting between the Chinese leader and Lukashenko was also held in the Great Hall of the People, which is China's highest courtesy to foreign leaders. The two sides also signed a number of cooperation documents in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, agriculture, tourism, and sports. This shows that China's friendly attitude towards Belarus remains unchanged and its support for bilateral cooperation remains undiminished.
The content of the visit to China: comprehensive and in-depth
Lukashenko's meeting with the leaders of our country covered all aspects of China-Belarus relations and demonstrated the depth and breadth of the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The two sides have a high degree of political mutual trust, cooperate closely in international affairs, and firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns. China highly appreciates Belarus' firm support for China's legitimate position on issues related to Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and human rights.
The Belarusian side reaffirmed its adherence to the one-China principle and its opposition to any form of "support for all efforts made by the Chinese side to achieve national reunification." The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other issues, and agreed that we should adhere to the direction of political settlement, abandon all Cold War mentality, respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries, and build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. The two sides also expressed their willingness to work with other countries to focus on development issues, address security challenges, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
The two sides will deepen economic cooperation and promote high-quality joint business and trade cooperation. The two sides will continue to promote the implementation of the Agreement on Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and the Eurasian Economic Union, and promote the further development of the economic and trade institutional arrangements between China and the Eurasian Economic Union. The two sides will expand mutual direct investment, carry out cooperation in high-tech industries, promote business cooperation between enterprises, and encourage entrepreneurship as priority directions for cooperation.
The parties will work together to develop the China-Belarus Industrial Park into an international cooperation project and a satellite city of Minsk. The two sides will also cooperate in the field of digitalization, promote digital technologies in goods and services**, develop e-commerce, promote the establishment of Belarusian national commodity pavilions on large Chinese e-commerce platforms, and encourage the development of e-commerce enterprises. The two sides will also pragmatically carry out financial cooperation on the basis of marketization, autonomy and rule of law, expand the use of local currencies in bilateral investment and financing, support financial institutions to actively carry out cooperation, further improve the level of financial services, and promote bilateral economic and trade development.
The two sides have expanded people-to-people exchanges and enhanced people-to-people bonds. The two sides spoke highly of the "Year of Local Cooperation" between China and Belarus in 2021 and 2022, and will encourage the establishment of representative offices in each other's regions in accordance with the principle of reciprocity. The two sides welcomed the in-depth economic and trade cooperation between Belarus and China's Chongqing, Qingdao and Tianjin. The two sides support the holding of local forums. The two sides will also expand cooperation in the fields of education, culture, tourism, film and television, sports, and **.
The two sides agreed to carry out practical cooperation between the universities of the two countries and jointly establish faculties on the basis of the joint education plan, including distance learning. Make full use of the best scholarship and other channels to exchange overseas students, jointly cultivate talents, and strive to provide a good study environment for international students from other countries. The two sides will continue to support young people from the two countries in learning Xi each other's national languages and expand cooperation in language teaching, and will further develop the Belarusian Research Center in China and the Confucius Institute in Belarus.
The two sides are committed to the establishment of a Chinese research center in Belarus. The two sides encouraged the film industries of the two countries to strengthen exchanges and cooperate in the production of films. The two sides are willing to actively promote cooperation between museums and libraries of the two countries in the fields of literature and cultural heritage protection. The two sides will continue to support the operation of the Chinese Cultural Center in Minsk.
Conclusion
Lukashenko's visit to China comes at a time when Belarus is facing a domestic political crisis and external sanctions. He hopes to use China's power to stabilize his regime, alleviate economic difficulties, and improve his international status. He also realized that China is the most important strategic partner of Belarus and the key to the modernization and development of Belarus. Therefore, he did not hesitate to brave the disgust and pressure of the West to express his firm friendship and support to China, hoping to strengthen bilateral cooperation, deepen mutual benefit and achieve common development.
China's visit to Lukashenko also upholds the principles of equality, mutual trust, cooperation and win-win results, and attaches great importance to it and warmly accords it a warm reception. China believes that Belarus is an important cooperative partner of China in Europe, an important node in the joint construction of commercial and trade roads, and an important force for maintaining peace and stability in Europe. Therefore, China is willing to strengthen political dialogue, deepen economic and trade cooperation, expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Belarus, jointly address international and regional challenges, and push China-Belarus relations to a new level. Belarus** Lukashenko visited China