China’s Xi pledges continued development assistance to Belarus

China's President Xi Jinping on Monday pledged continued development assistance to Belarus as he met his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing, state media reported.

“China supports Belarus in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions,” Xi told Lukashenko.

Lukashenko's visit to China comes after he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week at the latter’s Valdai residence in northwestern Russia.

Xi said China and Belarus should mobilize resources from various sectors to advance Belt and Road cooperation, and enhance coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks to “serve as a stabilizing force in a turbulent world.”

The two sides should “maintain strategic communication, and promote the continuous progress of bilateral relations that are already running at a high level to better benefit the peoples of the two countries,” Xi stressed.

It is Lukashenko's second trip to Beijing since last September, when he attended a Chinese military parade as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the northern city of Tianjin.

China and Belarus share “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” and the bilateral trade volume reached $8.86 billion last year.