MINSK. Aug 16 (Interfax) - Belarus and China have reached an unprecedentedly high level of cooperation, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said at a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu on Wednesday.
"Belarus and China have reached an unprecedentedly high level of cooperation," the ministry quoted Khrenin as saying.
He said he was confident that cooperation with China was among top foreign policy priorities for Belarus.
"China is a country that we view as a friend, which plays an important role in international politics and which is strengthening its authority and influence on the international arena," he said.
Over the 31 years of diplomatic relations between Belarus and China, "we have reached all-weather and comprehensive strategic partnership based on a foundation of traditional friendship and mutual respect," Khrenin said.
Amid the changing but still critical global situation, the relationship between Belarus and China could serve as an example for many countries, he said.
"Despite external factors, the all-weather nature of our relations enables us to move towards building a community of common interests and shared fate," he said.
These interests embrace key activity areas in Belarus and China, and along with excellent prospects for the development of trade-economic and scientific-technological relations, Belarus and China also have opportunities and the desire to expand bilateral military and military-technical cooperation, he said.
Khrenin suggested that Li's visit to Belarus would promote partnership, friendship, and mutual understanding between the Belarusian Armed Forces and China's People's Liberation Army.