With the long waiting list of world leaders who have wanted to visit Beijing after the closure of the pandemic restrictions, which in the Asian giant lasted more than three years, it is not common for there to be those who repeat a solo trip without the pretext of some international summit or forum. It was the president of Belarus himself, Aleksander Lukashenko, who has boasted that Xi has made room for him in his busy schedule.. for the second time so far this year.

“We know that he has recently had a large number of international meetings, not to mention domestic political issues in China itself.. Reflecting on this thesis, I thought: well, this is the burden of one of the leaders of our planet. So I am very grateful to him for this meeting,” the Belarusian said as soon as their meeting began in Beijing.

Disowned by much of the West and immovable in office since 1994, Lukashenko has been one of Vladimir Putin's faithful squires during the invasion of Ukraine, having allowed his country to be used by Russian troops during the initial attack last year.. And since Moscow boasts of having its great ally in Beijing, the Belarusian leader seems to want to join the team and get as close as he can to the Asian superpower..

But the fact that China opens its arms widely to Lukashenko, to the point of receiving him up to two times in its home in the last nine months, is an issue that is not completely understood in some diplomatic circles, such as those of the European Union delegation. in Beijing, also taking into account that this week Xi Jinping holds an important summit with EU leaders.

“Belarus was, is and will be a reliable partner for China. “I am happy to discuss current issues of cooperation in a friendly atmosphere,” Lukashenko said in his meeting with Xi according to statements collected by the Belarusian state agency BelTA.. “Strategic cooperation between Belarus and China is determined by the unity of our ideologies and the logic we share regarding current international events.”

According to the reading of the talk offered by the Chinese agency Xinhua, Xi Jinping said that his country is willing to continue strengthening this “strategic cooperation” and that Beijing will improve coordination with Minks in international organizations such as the UN. Xi also pledged to strengthen economic relations, which translates into an increase in Chinese investment in large infrastructure projects in Belarus..

Eight years ago, Xi, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, made his first visit to Belarus to inspect the Great Stone industrial park outside Minsk, the largest joint project between both countries, with a strong presence of Chinese companies.. Belarus, due to its privileged geographical location as a gateway to Europe, is an important enclave of the new Silk Road promoted by the Chinese leader.

Publicly, both countries always give each other good words and praise each other's cooperation.. But the diplomatic relationship cooled, and also the economic one, after the political crisis in Minsk – after the rigged presidential elections of 2020 – and the Lukashenko regime's repression of mass protests.

China also kept its distance in the subsequent migration crisis created by Belarus, as well as after the sanctions imposed by the European Union.. However, during the pandemic, after Lukashenko renounced allowing Western-made vaccines to enter his country, the Xi government came to the rescue by sending around five million doses of its serums to Belarus.. Since then, Beijing and Minsk have taken several steps to strengthen relations.

In August, former Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu visited the Belarusian capital and met with Lukashenko, with whom he pledged to increase military cooperation.. A couple of months earlier, three Belarusian ministers (of Economy, Agriculture and Transport) traveled to Beijing to sign several trade agreements.

China, taking advantage of Western sanctions over Lukashenko's aid to Putin and his war against Ukraine, has increased imports of different types of wood and potassium fertilizers. For its part, Minsk buys mainly mechanical equipment. Bilateral trade reached $5.08 billion in 2022, up 33% year-on-year. Transactions between both countries are being carried out in yuan, following the de-dollarization of trade that Beijing has been seeking for some time.