Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko explains decision to bet on China instead of European democracy

 MINSK, 18 December (BelTA) – In an interview with the U.S. TV company Newsmax Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko explained how back in the day he did not fall for proposals of Europeans concerning “all kinds of democracy” and chose to bet on the development of China, which is destined for a great future, BelTA has learned.

During the interview the Belarusian head of state was asked about China and its leader Xi Jinping. Aleksandr Lukashenko explained that he visited China for the first time 30 years ago when he was a member of the parliament and back then he already noticed that China is destined for a great future. “I came back and told the parliament that we should build relations with the Chinese state. A great future awaits it. Well, back then Americans didn’t really want to be friends with us and weren’t friends with us, you know. Europeans also tried to confuse me with all kinds of democracy and so on. But I prioritized economy first and foremost. And I saw that China would grow,” the Belarusian leader said.

In his words, today, several decades later it is obvious that China is about to secure leadership and it even causes concern on the part of the United States of America, which is trying to contain China’s development. However, it is no longer possible to do it, the Belarus president is convinced. “You’ve lost at least 20 years in order to slow down China. Nowadays nobody is capable of containing China. Particularly bearing in mind the philosophy the Chinese have in their heads,” Aleksandr Lukashenko believes.

“I’ve been watching China for 30 years. They commit a revolution every year. I visit China every year and I don’t recognize the country. They are so efficient that you cannot even evaluate it,” the head of state added.

Describing China President Xi Jinping, Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that he is a smart and neat person, impossibly calm just like all the Chinese. “A peculiarity of theirs is that they don’t rush anywhere. They are smart people, an extremely ancient civilization. They understand that sooner or later that existing problem has to be resolved. They believe that it is futile to accelerate the process. One can run into hardships. They do their business quietly and calmly,” the president said.

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