Against the background of increasing internal and external threats, President Oleksandr Lukashenko is negotiating with the Chinese leadership in Beijing in the hope of bringing his country out of diplomatic and economic isolation and obtaining guarantees that it will remain an independent republic with him at its head. Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes, citing Rador.

On Monday, the European Union extended sanctions against the Republic of Belarus. Despite the predictions of some observers, they did not relax. And the representatives of the opposition said that they had organized a drone attack on the Matsyulishchi military airfield.

Experts note that in this context, a visit to China may allow Lukashenka to feel more confident and gain greater independence from Moscow.

An important package of documents is expected to be signed, which touch on a wide range of issues of cooperation between the two countries. In Beijing, Lukashenko will also hold a series of meetings with high-ranking officials of the People’s Republic of China and the management of large Chinese corporations.

Before the visit, the president held a meeting on financing the purchase of military products for the needs of the law enforcement agencies

Political scientist Ihor Tyshkevich writes in his Telegram channel: “China has decided to take a little more Belarus out of Russia’s pocket.”

The analyst notes that the leader of the Republic of Belarus is also interested in this:

“If the visit is successful, then changing Lukashenka’s behavior along the lines of, for example, Tokayev (Kazakhstan President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev) becomes a feasible option by the end of 2023. Innovation is both good and bad. Good – from the point of view of preserving the Republic of Belarus as an independent state, the Innovation is good for Lukashenka’s entourage. The Innovation is bad from the point of view of “democratization of the Republic of Belarus” – China, in principle, does not care about the political regime,” the expert notes.

This does not bode well for the opposition leaders either. The political scientist believes: “The new part is bad from the point of view of certain subjects who have not formulated the contours of the future policy in the Chinese direction. For Beijing, a predictable partner (especially if it sticks to its agreements) is better than uncertainty.”

At the same time, Tyshkevich believes that if the greater openness of the Belarusian economy will be beneficial to Beijing, China can help Minsk get out of its foreign policy isolation.

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