Nikolai Snopkov
BEIJING, 3 June (BelTA) - The current visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to China, which serves as an example of friendship and the commitment of the leaders of the two countries to joint development, is unique in many ways, Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov told the media in Beijing on 3 June, BelTA has learned.
The program of the head of state's visit includes a friendly family meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as a number of negotiations and meetings.
Nikolai Snopkov first emphasized the context of the visit: “The talks are an additional activity. The main thing is the trip, which in principle [the level of communication] is not applied to any other world leader. It is a friendly family dinner. That is the main thing. This is the focus of the whole trip.”
“Let the world see how development should really be pursued. The thesis long promoted by the People's Republic of China as part of the Belt and Road Initiative is, in our view, not so much an economic thesis but a moral and ethical one. Belarus has stayed fully committed to it,” the first deputy prime minister emphasized.
In his words, Belarus was one of the first to support the Chinese leader's initiative to build a community with a shared future for mankind. “This is not even an economic path, but a moral one. We are following it,” Nikolai Snopkov stressed. “The international community should follow the example of friendship, mutual support, and joint development between Belarus and China, as the president’s current visit demonstrates. This is not a working or official visit. It is a visit for a family friendly dinner. Perhaps it would be great for the leaders of world powers to get together and talk to each other about the common future of their peoples.”
“What is happening today [in the world] simply shows that we cannot live like this. We need to live in mutual development, following the example set by Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko. We need to live in peace with people [of other countries] for the sake of our peoples and their prosperity. There are no other options. It will be war otherwise,” Nikolai Snopkov added.
In general, the leaders of Belarus and China have a global agenda to discuss taking the current situation into account. As for negotiations with representatives of Chinese business community, they are also occupying an important place during the Belarusian president's visit to China. “The bilateral agenda is no less global and strategic. Therefore, of course, our leader could not fail to address issues that are sensitive and important to us in strategic terms,” the first deputy prime minister said.
He added that back in 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested more active promotion of joint technological development between Belarus and China based on modern Chinese technologies and Belarusian industrial expertise. This first of all pertained to mechanical engineering, tractor manufacturing, and transport engineering. “Since then, we have been very actively developing the topic. A communiqué was signed during the visit of [Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China] Li Qiang. The parties have signed detailed joint roadmaps, which define specific projects. This topic is gaining momentum. The Year of Science and Technology is coming to an end. Next year, we will launch a two-year period dedicated to industrial cooperation. Therefore, today's meeting is a strategic message for more extensive and in-depth cooperation with one of the world's leading manufacturers of heavy machinery,” Nikolai Snopkov said.
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