China, Belarus to strengthen military cooperation

BEIJING - China and Belarus agreed to strengthen bilateral military-to-military cooperation as Belarusian Defense Minister Yuri Zhadobin visited Beijing on Thursday.

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Liang Guanglie said during talks with Zhadobin that relations between China and Belarus have seen steady and healthy development and remarkable results in various fields since the two established diplomatic ties in 1992.

Political mutual trust between the two countries has constantly enhanced, Liang said, adding that China and Belarus have good communication and coordination on international and regional issues.

The Chinese side has great appreciation for Belarusian firm support for China on issues related to China's core interests, he said, stressing that China respects and understands the development path as well as domestic and foreign policies adopted by the Belarusian side in accordance with its national conditions.

As an important component of relations between the two countries, military-to-military relations have also strengthened, Liang said, stressing that China is willing to work with Belarus to push the bilateral partnership to a new level.

Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, also met with Zhadobin on Thursday.

Xu briefed his guest on the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He stressed that China will stick to a peaceful development path and promote common development of the international community.

Developing a long-term friendly partnership between China and Belarus is in line with the interests of the two countries and the two peoples, Xu said, noting that military-to-military cooperation can strongly promote relations between the two nations.

During the meetings, Zhadobin hailed results of cooperation between the two sides. Promoting relations with China is a priority of Belarusian foreign policy, he said, stressing that Belarus is ready to work with the Chinese side to further strengthen military-to-military exchanges.