Xi backs Belarus sovereignty in Beijing meeting with Lukashenko

Xi Jinping told Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing that China supports Belarus in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, a public show of backing that comes as Minsk remains tightly bound to Moscow and under Western pressure over Russia’s war against Ukraine. Xi said China and Belarus must maintain strategic communication, keep advancing bilateral ties at a high level and better benefit the peoples of both countries. He also said Beijing was willing to continue providing assistance within its capacity for Belarus’ development and construction.

Lukashenko’s trip carried added weight because it followed his talks with Vladimir Putin last week. Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Putin is trying to push Lukashenko to step up support for Russia in the war. In that setting, Xi’s language on sovereignty reads as more than diplomatic courtesy: Beijing is signaling that it wants Belarus inside its orbit even as the country remains a launchpad and political partner for Moscow.

Chinese and Belarusian state media described the relationship as being at a historic peak, and Beijing has repeatedly elevated the partnership over the past two years. Xi sent Lukashenko a congratulatory message on January 27, 2025, after his reelection as president of Belarus. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng visited Minsk from June 6 to 8, 2026, and met Lukashenko there. In July 2024, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Xi said China-Belarus relations would continue to develop “healthily and with great strides.” A month later, Li Qiang and Roman Golovchenko announced the start of the China-Belarus years of science and technology innovation for 2024-2025.

The economic ties are now large enough to give the political language real weight. Belarusian officials said bilateral trade exceeded $8.5 billion in 2024, while Belarusian and Chinese reporting put trade above $8.86 billion in 2025. Chinese statistics reported by Belarusian media showed first-half 2025 trade of more than $4 billion, and Trading Economics cited UN COMTRADE data showing China’s exports to Belarus reached $6.58 billion in 2024. Belarusian officials also said Chinese investment into Belarus over 10 years exceeded $2 billion, with gross Chinese investment reaching $443 million in the first nine months of 2025.

That mix of trade, investment and summit-level contact leaves Lukashenko with a partner that offers legitimacy, financing and technology at a moment when Europe and the United States are trying to keep pressure on Minsk for its role in the conflict. For Western governments, the Beijing meeting is another reminder that sanctions enforcement has to contend not just with Russia’s network, but with a wider China-Russia-Belarus alignment that is becoming more coordinated in public and in practice.