Belarus and China are witnessing increasingly deepening ties and Belarus is committed to boosting economic links with China, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"China, as a rising economic powerhouse, can help the Belarussian economy grow faster," as economic and trade cooperation is the main dimension of Belarus-China ties, Lukashenko told Xinhua in the Belarussian capital Minsk on the eve of his visit to China.

Lukashenko kicks off his visit to Beijing on Sunday.

"Annual bilateral trade has hit 500 million US dollars and we are determined to bring our trade turnover to 1 billion dollars," Lukashenko said, adding his country wants to expand exports of metals, fertilizers, vehicles and machinery and set up joint ventures with China.

In the early 1990s, when he was a member of parliament, Lukashenko studied China's experience in running special economic zones and recommended to the parliament that Belarus learn from the China model.

Those proposals, adopted after Lukashenko took office as president, has helped promote Belarus' economy, which grows 8-10 percent annually, he said.

The president said his country enjoys stability and is leading member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in social and economic development.

Belarus ranks top in growth of gross domestic product (GDP) among CIS members and registers an unemployment rate of only 1.5 percent, Lukashenko said.

The Belarussian president proposed that the two countries cooperate extensively in foreign affairs, culture, education, science and technology, as well as in international organizations including the United Nations.

Speaking of Belarus' foreign policy, Lukashenko said the United States and some European countries stay cool in relations with Belarus, which has led to claims of its being isolated internationally.
 
Belarus, as a matter of fact, maintains good ties with China, Russia, India and countries in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, he said.

"Any assertions about Belarus being isolated are ridiculous," he added.

Belarus and Russia are building relations toward a union state and economic relations with neighboring Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are also faring well, Lukashenko said.

Belarus expects to boost cooperation with northern European countries in the energy sector, and trade with the United States and western European countries is also rising despite all the difficulties in political relations, Lukashenko noted.

Lukashenko stood firm in the fight against terrorism, saying his country opposes terrorism and has signed all the international anti-terrorist treaties. He denounced the double standard in combating terrorism.

(Xinhua News Agency December 2, 2005)