Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko's visit to China raises concerns

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- China is hosting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russia's military ally, for a state visit on Tuesday, sparking speculation of China's possible increasing involvement in the year-old invasion of Ukraine.

Lukashenko was expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and sign trade, education and technology agreements. China has denied that it is providing direct aid to Russia in its war against Ukraine.

China publicly has tried to position itself as a mediator in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, offering a 12-point proposal for ending the war that has received little, if any, support beyond its borders. The three-day trip by Lukashenko is expected to boost a show of support for Russia.

"There's been a clear push by Beijing, Moscow, Minsk and Tehran to demonstrate a narrative that says, 'We have other options, and we'll put them on proud display -- you can sanction us all you want, and it doesn't matter,'" Raffaello Pantucci, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies in London told the Washington Post.

An editorial in the Chinese Communist Party-controlled publication Global Times said the visit shows that it is trying to create peaceful coalitions and blamed the United States for hostilities.

"We emphasize that both China-Belarus relations and China-Russia relations are built on the basis of non-confrontation, non-alliance and non-targeting of third countries," the editorial said.

"This sends a clear message to the world that China develops all bilateral relations with its partners based on common interests, and the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, with open doors for cooperation. We will never bypass a country just because the U.S. or others do not like it."