Belarus

While meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, President Xi Jinping said that China is ready to work with Belarus to increase mutual political support, unleash the potential of cooperation in various fields, promote greater progress in China-Belarus relations and deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

The two presidents decided to upgrade the bilateral relationship to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi stressed that China highly commends the firm support Belarus has always given China on issues concerning China's core interests, saying the nation firmly supports Belarus in taking a development path suited to its national conditions and opposes external forces' interference in Belarus' domestic affairs under any pretext.

China will maintain close exchanges with Belarus, carry out mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation in investment, economy and trade and other fields, and develop a green, smart, eco-friendly and digitally advanced China-Belarus Industrial Park, Xi said.

Lukashenko called China a highly reliable partner, and said that the upgrade of Belarus-China relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership is fully aligned with the strong growth and potential needs of bilateral relations.

Belarus firmly supports China's national reunification and its position on core issues such as Taiwan-related issues, he said.

After the meeting, the two sides also signed cooperation documents in such areas as science and technology, judiciary, agriculture and e-commerce.