BEIJING (AP) 鈥 Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke of a 鈥渟trengthened political mutual trust and international coordination鈥 with Belarus after he met with the European country's president in Beijing, according to official media.
China has sought to make Belarus a core member of its 鈥淏elt and Road Initiative鈥 to build infrastructure with nations from Malaysia to Greece. Belarusian has become increasingly isolated following a and his support for ally Russia in its .
But the heavily state-controlled economy of Belarus has dimmed possibilities for major economic cooperation with China.
China 鈥渙pposes external interference in Belarus鈥 internal affairs,鈥 Xi was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying, a reflection of China鈥檚 unofficial alliance with authoritarian states from Cuba to Russia in opposition to the U.S.-led liberal democratic global order.
Xinhua said Xi and 鈥渁lso exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis," but the news agency did not give details of their discussion about the conflict.
Russia used Belarus as a staging ground for troops and equipment before Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
A published last month reported that Belarus also has facilitated 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 systematic effort to identify, collect, transport, and re-educate Ukraine鈥檚 children" during the war. More than 2,400 have been taken to Belarus from Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine, according to the study.
