Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 24 April (BelTA) – Belarus and China witness rapid development of bilateral relations, President Alexander Lukashenko said in his State of the Nation Address on 24 April, BelTA has learned.

“Recently, the relations with China have been developing rapidly. The trust-based relations between the countries, comprehensive strategic partnership and mutually beneficial cooperation were established in 2016. Our ties have been growing dynamically both in terms of quantity and quality,” the head of state noted.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus is an active and equal member of the Road and Belt initiative put forward by China President Xi Jinping. “This is a new strategy of international cooperation based on the principles of support and co-development,” the president said.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that during the recent meeting with the Chinese defense minister he thanked the Chinese party for the current level of cooperation and urged for the further strengthening of bilateral relations. “The Chinese defense minister agreed with me and supported my approaches. We will strengthen the relations in the eastern direction: both with Russia and with the PRC. For Belarus these relations are the strongest support and an asset,” the president noted.