China and Belarus establish strategic partnership - joint declaration

MINSK. Sept 16 (Interfax) - Belarus and China have established a comprehensive strategic partnership under a joint declaration adopted in Samarkand, the Belarusian state news agency BelTA said.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 15.

"The heads of state held a candid and in-depth exchange of opinions and reached a mutual understanding on a wide circle of issues concerning China-Belarus relations and international and regional matters of mutual interest," according to the report.

"The leaders of the two states highly assess the successes achieved over the 30 years of the development of relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Belarus in all spheres of cooperation," the joint declaration said.

The document also underscores the sides' mutual commitment to raising the level of bilateral relations, the exemplary nature and the great significance of Belarus-China relations, as well as the two countries' interest in further promoting bilateral cooperation in all fields.