The visit

China tests Eurasian allies, Russia and Belarus after Kazakhstan

There is an urgent need to strengthen economic diplomacy with the key players of Sco, the NATO of Asia. It is Premier Li Qiang's turn to visit Moscow and Minsk in four days

20 August 2024Urge rinsaldare la diplomazia economica con i principali referenti dello Sco, la Nato dell’Asia. Tocca al premier Li Qiang visitare in quattro giorni Mosca e Minsk

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2' min read

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The Silk Road has to be re-established in a context that has changed compared to ten years ago, when China's new President Xi Jinping relaunched it. The economic crisis and the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza are increasingly pushing Beijing, which aims to act as mediator, to take sides politically.

In early July, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, was received in Astana by the Kazakh President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Neighbouring Kazakhstan is crucial for the stability of the region. Today begins Premier Li Qiang's four-day visit between Moscow and Minsk, with the hope of welding together global economy and security, strengthening the Eurasian bloc.

Strategic Guide

At the beginning of July, President Xi Jinping set foot in Astana, capital of the country that christened the new Silk Road over a decade ago, with the aim of remarking to his colleague Tokayev on the friendship between China and Kazakhstan 'which has its roots in the ancient Silk Road, which has lasted for thousands of years, and in the 32 years of cooperation that began with the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations'.

Same script for Premier Li Qiang in Russia today and, in turn, in Belarus. "Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Russia relations have eliminated external interference and maintained a healthy and stable development," was the phrase used by Mao Ning, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, to announce the visit, which includes the 29th meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government.

Li Qiang is a businessman, scheduled to exchange in-depth views on practical cooperation in bilateral relations and issues of common interest with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin. A strategic partnership between Russia and China that has been strengthened since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, never formally condemned by Beijing.

The Lukashenko Factor

China once again presents itself as a neutral party in the war and reiterates that it 'will not send lethal aid to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations'. The position is still one of openly not admitting any censorship, avoiding taking sides, at least formally.

China is, however, a close political and economic ally of Russia, which is why NATO called Beijing a 'decisive facilitator' of the war in Ukraine.

Particularly complex is the handling of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who visited China twice in 2023, always promising in December to be a 'reliable partner' for Beijing.

Belarus is heavily dependent on Russia for political and financial support and has been used as an outpost for Moscow's attack on Ukraine in February 2022.

How can we not point out that in July Minsk officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, thus becoming the tenth member of the expanding bloc of nations that Beijing sees as a potential counterweight to the US-led world order?

As Mao Ning also mentioned, 'China and Belarus are global strategic partners in all weather conditions'.