Minsk expects long-term effects from Sino-Belarusian cooperation

Before leaving for Beijing, President Lukashenka signed the Directive No 5 about the development of bilateral relations with China. So far, the trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and China has failed to bring the anticipated results and Chinese exporters gain the most benefits from it. Belarus still has a negative trade balance with China. However, official Minsk counts on contacts with China in order to balance the pressure from the Kremlin and to compensate for the absence of full-fledged relations with Western capitals, especially during the presidential campaign. The Belarusian government is anticipating developing Sino-Belarusian relations today, so that the Belarusian economy will have gained benefits in the long-term.