The leaders of China and Belarus have expressed their “deep interest” in a peaceful resolution of Ukraine.
Chinese President and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued the statement after talks in Beijing.
Mr Lukashenko said his country fully supported Beijing’s plan to end the war in Ukraine.
China announced plans for peace talks last week, emphasizing respect for national sovereignty.
The visit comes as China sent its top diplomat, Wang Yi, to meet Mr Putin.
Mr Lukashenko and Mr Xi’s meeting also coincided with US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken’s visit to Central Asian countries to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Belarus’ state news agency Belta reported that on Wednesday, China and Belarus expressed “deep concern” about the conflict and expressed “great interest in establishing peace in Ukraine as soon as possible.”
Mr Lukashenko has supported the Russian leader in the war in Ukraine, and observers saw his visit to Beijing as another sign of China’s alignment with Russia and its allies.
The Belarusian leader praised China’s peace plan.
The 12-point document emphasizes respect for the “sovereignty of all countries”. It did not specifically say that Russia should withdraw its troops from Ukraine and condemned the use of “unilateral sanctions”, a clear criticism of Ukraine’s Western allies.
Mr. Lukashenko said he “fully supports the initiative on international security that you have presented,” according to remarks released by his aides.
He told Mr Xi that political decisions should be aimed “first and foremost at preventing a slide into a global conflict in which there is no visible winner”.
China’s peace plan met with general mistrust in the West.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he agreed with parts of it and said it was a sign of China’s willingness to engage. Beijing has not yet responded publicly to Mr Zielinski’s demand for a summit.
According to a Chinese readout of the meeting with Mr Lukashenko, the Chinese leader called for abandoning “all Cold War mentality”.
Mr Xi added that countries should stop “politicizing” the global economy and “do things that contribute to ceasefire, end of war and peaceful resolution”.
Mr Lukashenko’s three-day visit in September comes after China upgraded its ties with Belarus in the months since the conflict in Ukraine.
Chinese foreign ministry statements describe their relationship as an “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership”, a rare term used only for one other country – Pakistan.
According to JEE News, this means that Belarus ranks just below Russia in China’s international relations ranking.
Belarus has been a key ally of Russia since the beginning of the conflict when it allowed Moscow to use Belarus’ border with Ukraine as a launch pad for an attack on Kiev, which ultimately failed.
Meanwhile, China has tried to appear neutral, supporting both the right to sovereignty and national security, which are the respective interests of Ukraine and Russia.
But Beijing has also refused to condemn Moscow and has indirectly supported its war effort. According to several analyses, China’s state media actively propagated the Russian view of the war.
The Chinese government last week strongly rejected claims by the United States that it was considering supplying Russia with arms and ammunition.
“We do not accept America’s finger-pointing on China-Russia relations, let alone coercion and pressure,” said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, when asked about the allegations.
Chinese firms are also accused of supplying Russia with dual-use technology – goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes, such as drones and semiconductor chips.
