Xi calls for early ratification of China-Belarus cooperation treaty

MINSK, May 11 -- Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged the legislatures of his country and Belarus to approve the just signed treaty of bilateral friendship and cooperation.

He made the appeal during a meeting here with Mikhail Myasnikovich and Vladimir Andreichenko, respectively speaker of the Council of the Republic and of the House of Representatives, or the upper and lower house of the National Assembly of Belarus.

The treaty, signed Sunday by Xi and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, will make into law the lasting friendship between the two peoples as well as the objectives, principles and direction of developing bilateral ties, said the Chinese president.

He expressed the hope that the Chinese and Belarusian parliaments will endorse the accord as soon as possible, while continuing to boost exchanges and cooperation in line with the current needs of the development of their countries' relationship so as to implement the new consensuses the two sides have reached.

Xi noted that Beijing and Minsk have maintained a long-standing friendship and have supported each other firmly on issues concerning their core interests.

Parliamentary exchanges, he said, have become a crucial part of the China-Belarus comprehensive strategic partnership, with the National People's Congress of China and the National Assembly of Belarus having carried out frequent friendly interaction in recent years.

The Chinese leader called on the two countries' legislative bodies to further beef up their cooperation so as to help drive forward the development of bilateral relations.

In addition, Xi recalled that the Chinese and Belarusian people forged a strong friendship during their common fight against fascists and militarists in World War Two (WWII).

The commemorative events the two countries hold this year, he stressed, are aimed at safeguarding the anti-fascist victory in WWII as well as historical fairness and international justice.

Myasnikovich and Andreichenko, for their part, warmly welcomed Xi's visit to Belarus, which they lauded as very successful.

The treaty of friendship and cooperation, together with the joint statement the two presidents signed on further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Belarus and China, will broaden bilateral cooperation and greatly advance bilateral ties, they said.

The Belarusian legislature, they added, will speed up the ratification process of the treaty, earnestly implement the important consensuses reached by Xi and Lukashenko, and play an active role in deepening bilateral political and economic cooperation.

With a growing number of Belarusians enthusiastic about learning the Chinese culture, the National Assembly of Belarus supports the expansion of people-to-people exchanges in such sectors as education, culture and tourism, in a bid to further firm up the public support for bilateral friendship, said the two speakers.

Voicing the Belarusian parliament's readiness to strengthen exchanges with its Chinese counterpart, they pledged to keep close contact and coordination with the Chinese side in regional and international affairs and further cement mutual trust and support.

They stressed that Belarus supports China's plan to hold commemorative events to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The Belarusian and Chinese commemorative events, they echoed, are aimed at remembering history, upholding justice and safeguarding world peace.

The Chinese president arrived here Sunday for a three-day state visit to Belarus, the last stop of his three-nation tour, which has already taken him to Kazakhstan and Russia.