#Belarus
Amid Sunny Rhetoric, China Restricts Investment in Belarus
While Minsk places high expectations on China to replace the closed Western commodity and financial markets, and access to technologies, Beijing is reluctant to extend a helping hand due to strained relations between Belarus and the West.
Amid Ukraine Tensions, Moscow and Beijing Grow Closer
On the sidelines of the Beijing Olympics, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for the 38th time, issuing a joint statement that may well become a major milestone in bilateral…
Belarus’ Burgeoning Ties with Russia and China
Increasing pressure from Western countries may leave the Lukashenko regime no choice but to embrace a two-pronged strategy. These prongs include deepening defense cooperation with Russia and bolstering economic ties with China. While the…
Crises and Consequences Along the BRI’s Northern Corridor
This article is part of a series of articles authored by young, aspiring China scholars under the Future CHOICE initiative. Learn more about the program and a currently OPEN call for articles here. A growing…
Unrest in Kazakhstan Only Solidifies China-Russia Ties
The Russian-led military operation in Kazakhstan has presented an important test for Moscow’s ties with Beijing. In early January, Kazakhstan was shaken by nationwide protests that sparked uncertainty in the central Asian nation that…
Vilnius the Valiant No More?
From its donation of 255,900 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to organizing a week-long parliamentary delegation to Taiwan, Lithuania has positioned itself as an early and reliable stalwart in the pursuit of closer ties between…
China’s “Strategic Silence” on the Poland-Belarus Border Crisis
This article is part of a series of articles authored by young, aspiring China scholars under the Future CHOICE initiative. At the beginning of December, Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko signed Directive No.9, a law aimed…
China Pulls the Economic Coercion Card Against Lithuania
In early December, Lithuanian companies began to sense the extent of the economic price they might pay for the diplomatic row between Vilnius and Beijing. What initially appeared as a moderate diplomatic response was…
Western Sanctions on Belarus’s Potash Industry Test Beijing-Minsk Partnership
At the beginning of September, the Belarusian news outlet Nasha Niva revealed that due to Western sanctions on Belarusbank, China had not paid another tranche of credit ($103 million) for the construction of the $2 billion…
Voice for CHOICE #11: Looking Into Lithuania’s Challenge to China
Lithuania has certainly not been shy about bucking the status quo in terms of relations with Beijing. Whether it be committing to a fight for freedom “from Belarus to Taiwan”, a withdrawal from the…
China Fails to Deliver on its Promises in Belarus
For over a decade, Belarus has seen China as a strategic opportunity for its foreign policy. Unsurprisingly, China is largely perceived as an economic opportunity for the Eastern European country. Sino-Belarusian economic cooperation mainly…
The Curious Timing of the Chinese Loan to Belarus
On the 16th of December, The Belarusian Finance Ministry and the executive of Shanghai branch of the China Development Bank signed an agreement that granted Belarus a loan of 3.5 billion RMB (approx. 500…