Belarusian President Lukashenko to visit China in coming days
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Beijing is ready to work with Minsk to deepen mutual political trust.
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Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at their meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, May 10, 2015. (AP)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will pay an official visit to China on February 28, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday.
"At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will pay a state visit to China from February 28 to March 2," spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik that Beijing is ready to work with Minsk to deepen mutual political trust, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Qin also stated that China will continue to support Belarus in maintaining national stability and will oppose efforts by "external forces" to meddle in its internal affairs or impose "illegal" unilateral sanctions on Minsk.
The Chinese and Belarusian leaders announced an "all-weather" strategic partnership in September last year when the two met in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.
China released a 12-point position paper on Friday, calling for urgent peace talks and a "political settlement" to the NATO-orchestrated war in Ukraine.
Coinciding with the first anniversary of the NATO-orchestrated war in Ukraine, the paper encourages all parties to "support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible."
Earlier this week, Belarus said that there was a significant grouping of Ukrainian troops massed near its border and warned that this posed a threat to its security.
It said a significant number of Ukrainian soldiers are positioned at its borders, warning that the probability of an armed escalation has been high for a long time.
