During his visit to Russian ally Belarus, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu on Thursday asserted that Beijing would increase military cooperation with Minsk, despite Western objections. Moscow is deploying tactical nuclear weapons to its ally.
As Li continues his six-day visit to Russia and Belarus, he visited Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk and said, "The purpose of my visit to Belarus is precisely the implementation of important agreements at the level of heads of state and the further strengthening of bilateral military cooperation."
Both sides have yet to provide details on what the cooperation entails, but China and Belarus have agreed to hold joint military exercises in 2024. This comes as Russian troops that played an instrumental role in the country's invasion in Ukraine have been deployed in Belarus, along with weapons.
Lukashenko has promised that the country's alliance with China will not be aimed against any other nation. "We need to secure our states and our peoples. We are absolute supporters of a multipolar world, territorial integrity and unity of the borders and territories established after the Second World War," he said.
Li's visit to Russia
Li had departed for a six-day visit to Russia and Belarus in a show of support despite objection from Western countries over the ongoing war in Ukraine. This is Li's second visit to Moscow after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.
At the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security, Li said that "attempts to use Taiwan" for containing China will result in inevitable failure, a cryptic warning aimed towards the United States, as the latter continues to supply military and economic aid to Taipei.
China has repeated said that it is a 'neutral party' in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and has advocated for a peaceful resolution, including at the recently concluded summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. However, President Xi has accused the US of provoking and trying to isolate Russia and has backed Moscow in American condemnation of the war.
On Tuesday, Li said that China's military was "a firm force in maintaining world peace" and that Chinese President Xi Jinping was aiming to achieve stability in global security in a "world of chaos".
According to Belarusian analyst, Li's visit to Russia is an important signal for the US, the European Union (EU) and Ukraine, and that China is marking the scope of its military interests and that is could be forced to take one side if the war continues for a long time.
(with AP inputs)
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