Xi Jinping received Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing at the time of the war in Ukraine and growing tensions with the West. The meeting draws attention to China’s role.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing on Monday, state media reported. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- Xi Jinping met with Lukashenko in person on Monday in Beijing.
- Since 1994, Lukashenko has ruled Belarus continuously as an authoritative leader.
- Belarus allowed Russia to launch an invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- A Russian nuclear-capable Orešnik ballistic missile is deployed in Belarus.
- China is accused of training Russian soldiers despite its declared neutrality.
China’s state-run CCTV said Xi received Lukashenko at the lavish Tiaoyutai state residence, but gave no further details.
Meeting in Beijing
Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus authoritatively since 1994, authorized Moscow to launch an invasion of Ukraine through Belarus in 2022, but denied direct participation in the war, AFP reports.
In December of last year, the Belarusian president announced that a new Russian medium-range ballistic missile Orešnik (Lieska) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead had been deployed in his country.
China and military relations
China has presented itself as a neutral party since the beginning of the conflict, although Kiev’s allies have long accused Beijing of training Russian soldiers.
Lukashenko last visited China in September 2025, when he took part in a spectacular military parade in Beijing and in the city of Tianjin at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – a ten-member grouping that includes Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
