Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko's extensive official trip to Southeast Asia began in China on 29 June. The Head of State arrived in Beijing overnight. The Belarusian leader was greeted with a red carpet and a guard of honour despite the working status of the visit. The Heads of State had already held a working meeting. The leaders then continued their conversation over a traditional family dinner. This format goes far beyond diplomatic protocol and is a sign of special personal trust between the President of Belarus and the President of China. The countries are bound by decades of strong friendship. Belarus and China have reached the highest level of cooperation — an all-weather and comprehensive strategic partnership. Minsk and Beijing are committed to strengthening this partnership with new projects. China was the first country on the itinerary of Aleksandr Lukashenko's extensive foreign visit to East and Southeast Asian region which is the leading global development region and a global economic driver. This explains strong interest in developing cooperation with Asian countries which is one of Belarus' foreign policy priorities and forms the foundation of its multi-vector policy.