(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).
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