Belarus, China hail deepening ties

(ANSA-AFP) - BEIJING, DEC 4 - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Alexander Lukashenko hailed strengthening ties on Monday as they held talks during the Belarusian leader's second trip to Beijing this year. Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Russia, arrived in China on Sunday for a visit expected to last at least two days. Lukashenko last came to China in February, a trip that drew scrutiny given Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. "Belarus is, was, and will be a reliable partner for China," Lukashenko told Xi on Monday, according to a readout of the talks from the office of the Belarusian presidency. "We decided long ago that we would cooperate and be friends with China," he said. "This friendship is more than 30 years old and has never turned away from this path." Xi, in turn, said "political mutual trust" and "international collaboration" between the two countries had grown stronger since Lukashenko's last visit, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. (ANSA-AFP).