China to Host Belarus Leader After Seeking Cease-fire in Ukraine

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China will host the president of Belarus in a state visit this week, welcoming an ally of Vladimir Putin as the US expresses concerns that Beijing may yet decide to provide weapons support to Russia that would assist it in its war in Ukraine.

Alexander Lukashenko is visiting at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The three-day visit will begin Tuesday.

Tensions have been simmering between Washington and Beijing over US concerns that China may help arm Putin’s forces waging war on Ukraine. President Joe Biden said he did not expect China would provide significant assistance to Russia in the form of weapons, but warned any such action would draw a US response.

China called for a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine in a position paper on ending the war released Friday. But several of the 12 points outlined by Beijing offer clear benefits to Putin, and were dismissed by US and European officials.

Days before releasing the proposal, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, met with Putin in Moscow and called ties between the nations “solid as a mountain.”

Biden Does Not Anticipate China Giving Russia Major Weapons Aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that he hopes China will stand with Ukraine, on the side of “just peace” – and lauded Beijing for beginning to address Ukraine. He expressed optimism that China embraces the principle of territorial integrity.

“I strongly believe that China will not supply weapons to the Russian Federation - for me it is important, for me it is the No. 1 point,” Zelenskiy said. “I’ll do everything to prevent this.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week China’s government probably gave approval for Chinese companies to provided Russia non-lethal, “dual-use” support. But Blinken did not provide examples or evidence that the Chinese government has approved dual-use items which can have both military and civilian purposes.

Lukashenko’s visit will focus on economic recovery and a further enhancing of China-Belarus ties, the state-owned tabloid Global Times said. It added that “practical cooperation with China means a lot to Belarus” with both Minsk and Moscow facing increasing pressure from the West as Putin’s war against Ukraine enters the second year.

In a phone call with his Belarussian counterpart on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said China “opposes external interference in Belarus’ internal affairs and illegal unilateral sanctions against the country.”

Ties between China and Belarus “achieved a historic leap” after Xi and Lukashenko announced the elevation of bilateral relations to “an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” when the two met on the sidelines of the Samarkand Summit in September, Qin said. The categorization marks the highest level of China’s official cooperation with other countries.

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