Westerners consider that the meeting of the Belarusian leader, ally of Moscow, with Xi Jinping is a new sign of support for Russia.
by Frédéric Lemaître (Beijing, correspondent)
The Belarusian leader, Alexandre Loukachenko, began a three -day state visit to China during which he was received on Wednesday 1
On February 24, Beijing published his “position for a political regulation of the Ukrainian crisis” which calls for a cease-fire and negotiations. This very general document that China itself does not describe as a “peace plan” was rejected by Westerners because it does not designate Moscow as the aggressor in the war in Ukraine. Russia waited three days before the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said on February 27: “For the moment, we do not see the premises so that this affair can take a peaceful path. ( …) The special military operation [in Ukraine] continues. “For the Belarusian, his arrival in China” takes place in a very difficult period which requires new unusual approaches and responsible political decisions. They must aim above all to avoid a World confrontation which will not have winners. “
In power since July 1994, Alexandre Loukachenko is at his thirteenth visit to China. In September 2022, the two countries had decided to raise their relationship at the level of a “global strategic partnership in any time”. Westerners fear that this new visit can be an opportunity for Beijing to indirectly support Russia by helping a nearby country, also subject to sanctions. If we believe the Chinese daily newspaper Global Times, agreements should be signed in many areas: “Politics, economics, trade, finance, industry, agriculture, science and technology, Sports, tourism, health, interregional cooperation and the media “.
” Many Chinese investments in Belarus “
As the United States believes that China “plans” to sell weapons to Russia, could it go through Belarus? Officially, it does not seem to be topical. But cooperation between the two countries had extended to military equipment equipment a few years ago. according to the magazine Online The Diplomat, Belarus had announced, in 2017, the delivery by Beijing of new armored trucks.
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