Lukashenko conveys his best wishes to Xi Jinping

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has conveyed his best wishes to Chinese President Xi Jinping, as he met with outgoing Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Xie Xiaoyong on 5 September, BelTA has learned.

"I would like to ask you to convey my best wishes to my friend, my very close friend, President of China Xi Jinping. I wish him good health, long life and especially long term in office. He is a man who is not only well-known but also loved in Belarus. I am very happy that we have established such kind and warm relations," the Belarusian leader said.

He also acknowledged the ambassador's contribution to the development of bilateral relations. "You can come to Belarus without any visas. You will never be a guest. Please come as if it is your home country. We will be happy to welcome you. Thank you very much for everything you have done during your work as ambassador to Belarus," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The president praised Xie Xiaoyong’s conduct in Belarus. "I couldn't but meet with you. First of all, I would like to thank you for everything you have done for Belarus. You have done everything to strengthen our relations with China, although they were already at a very high level," he said. "You have worked very closely with us. We have signed a declaration on the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between Belarus and China. We have a very high, probably the highest level of relations among the states with which China has ties."

Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that Belarus-China trade totals about $8 billion. Thus, China is Belarus' second biggest trading partner after Russia.