The ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, met with the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Monday, June 29, as reported by the Belarusian official Telegram channel "Pool of the First." According to this report, Xi told Lukashenko that the China-Belarus relations are at a "historical peak." "This is exactly what we talked about. And perhaps, to some extent, we dreamed about this global cooperation between Belarus and the People's Republic of China," Lukashenko responded. Moreover, Xi Jinping stated that China and Belarus should "promote the continuous development of high-level bilateral relations" and "maintain strategic communication," as reported by Reuters. China supports Belarus in defending its national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, emphasized the Chairman of the KNO. The negotiations took place in the first half of the day at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, reported China Central Television. ## ## Context of the Visit Lukashenko arrived in China after holding talks with Vladimir Putin at the Russian president's residence in Valdai last week. The meeting was held behind closed doors and lasted about five hours. Lukashenko's visit to the PRC comes amid rising tensions between Belarus and Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Putin, in his belief, is trying to secure increased support from Lukashenko for Russia in the war against Ukraine. China is the first country in Lukashenko's extensive tour of East and Southeast Asian countries. According to the "Pool of the First" channel, Lukashenko and Xi have scheduled "not only a meeting" for June 29.