Chinese, Belarusian FMs hold talks in Beijing

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov in Beijing on Monday.

Wang congratulated Belarus on becoming a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), saying that China is willing to take the opportunity of assuming the rotating presidency of the SCO to work with all parties to jointly carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, strengthen coordination and cooperation, and make the organization stronger and more practical.

Wang expressed China's willingness to deepen high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic synergy and deepen all-round cooperation with Belarus to advance their all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.

Ryzhenkov said Belarus is ready to work with China to implement the important consensus and plans made by the two heads of state and to expand practical cooperation in various fields. The Belarusian Foreign Minister is on an official visit to China from July 6 to 9.

The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues. They agreed that China and Belarus should continue to firmly support each other on issues related to each other's core interests and major concerns, oppose external interference and resist unilateral bullying.

The two sides agreed to strengthen solidarity and cooperation among the Global South countries and to jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.

In terms of the Ukraine crisis, Wang said that priority should be given to adhering to the three principles of "no spillover from the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no adding oil to the fire by relevant parties" in order to cool down the situation and create conditions for resuming dialogue.