Chinese Premier Li Qiang holds talks with Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in Minsk on Thursday that China stands ready to work with Belarus to firmly support each other in defending core interests and remain each other's true friend and good partner.

Li made the remarks while holding talks with Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko.

Noting that China and Belarus enjoy a time-honored traditional friendship, Li said that under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, China-Belarus all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership has been developing in depth.

The two countries have continuously consolidated political mutual trust and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation, Li said, adding that China is ready to work with Belarus to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, firmly support each other in safeguarding their core interests, unswervingly be each other's true friend and good partner, maintain the sound and steady development of bilateral relations at a high level, deepen cooperation in various fields and better promote each other's modernization drive.

Li pointed out that China is willing to give full play to the role of the intergovernmental cooperation committee between the two countries, strengthen the docking of development strategies, jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, further tap the cooperation potential in trade and investment, digital economy and green development, and expand people-to-people exchanges in education, culture and tourism.

China is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with Belarus in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral mechanisms, actively implement the three global initiatives, promote the practice of the genuine multilateralism, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, he added.

For his part, Golovchenko said under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, bilateral relations have made remarkable progress in recent years, adding that Belarus is willing to remain a good friend and partner of China, firmly abide by the one-China principle and firmly support China's position on issues concerning Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Xizang.

Noting that the support and assistance provided by China over the years have strongly promoted Belarus' economic and social development, he said Belarus is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen exchanges at all levels, expand practical cooperation on trade, industry, science and technology, and agriculture under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen subnational and cultural exchanges as well as coordination in international and multilateral affairs, and continuously enrich the connotation of the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between Belarus and China.

Li and Golovchenko jointly announced the official launch of the China-Belarus years of science and technology innovation from 2024 to 2025 and the establishment of the China-Belarus basic science research center and the Chinese book center of the National Library of Belarus.

Following the talks, the two leaders signed a joint communique between the two governments, witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents on Belt and Road cooperation, service trade and investment, green development, science and technology, culture and local affairs. They also jointly met the press.