Anatoly Kotov: Chinese Media Offended Lukashenko

5.06.2025, 21:02
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The ruler found himself in the role of a petitioner.

Alexander Lukashenko has concluded his visit to Beijing, which lasted from June 2 to 4. It is reported that he met with Si Jinping. At the same time, Lukashenko traveled to China later than planned. Back on December 3, he stated that he would visit Beijing before the "elections" that took place on January 26.

The Charter97.org website asked Belarusian political scientist Anatoli Kotov to comment on the results of this visit:

- I assess this visit as a PR-action, which was relatively successful. Yes, the visit was planned earlier, but the question is who planned it. If Lukashenko planned it, it does not mean that China planned it as well. And, in fact, the format of the visit itself shows that it was not a super official visit with a full-scale program, but rather a visit of a private nature, the meaning of which was reduced to beautiful photos from the meeting with Xi Jinping, which was the only one in China.

When it comes to a normal full-fledged visit, it is usually planned to have several meetings at different levels: with the PRC government, and with the National People's Congress, and not just communication with Xi Jinping. The visit itself, in fact, its substantive part, lasted only a few hours.

This suggests that the visit itself was probably not much needed by the Chinese side, but Lukashenko needed it. He wanted to show that he was still needed by the powers that be. This is not only about Russia or contacts with the West, but that there is an alternative to lean on.

This visit was not much covered in the Chinese central press. Some publications generally wrote that Chinese money and technologies were the salvation for the Belarusian economy. This is probably the first time it was voiced in such a form, which, of course, offends the regime, but is a statement of fact.

It is a statement that Lukashenko came to China in the role of a beggar. What did he leave with? With an invitation to the SCO summit, which he would have received anyway, and with an invitation to the military parade in Beijing, to which he would have been invited anyway, it is a completely protocol subject. Because of such things it is definitely not worth flying almost ten thousand kilometers to have a cup of tea with the leader of China.

What else draws attention is what was happening before the visit. For example, a marked reduction in the number of illegal migrants storming the EU border from Belarus. It was also announced that the West-2025 exercise had been moved somewhere inland.

Of course, both of these topics are important to China. The first one is related to transit stability, the second one is related to de-escalation in the region, this war between Russia and Ukraine China does not like either. It does not add convenience to China, because it hits its interests in Europe.

- Could Lukashenko at this meeting have been asked questions about the situation on the Polish border, which are raised by Warsaw at meetings with representatives of China?

- Since there were fewer of them, it means that this topic was predicted by the Belarusian regime. Most likely, it was discussed in terms of what was happening. These two things draw attention to themselves, i.e. the decrease in the number of migrants and the postponement of the exercises.

There was another topic, absolutely economic in nature. It is about visiting a new potash deposit. Potash fertilizers are also in the sphere of China's interests, i.e. the question of how the investment project of Belaruskali is developing in general. I think that the issue of Slavkali, which was initially financed with Chinese money under the guarantees of the Belarusian government, under Lukashenka's guarantees, was also raised there.

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Anatoly Kotov: Chinese Media Offended Lukashenko

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