China and Belarus still boast vast cooperation potential across multiple fields, said Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin in an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on Wednesday after meeting Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers' Meeting from Wednesday to Thursday.
The two-day event is attended by defense leaders of SCO member countries, as well as senior officials of SCO Secretariat and Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.
"We really had a very good meeting today with my Chinese colleague, not just a colleague, but we already call each other friends. We discussed very broad topics during today's conversation, starting from the situation in the world and the situation around us. And most importantly, we have the same view of current events, the same thinking about how to develop international relations, and of course, cooperation between our countries. During the meeting, we also discussed the prospects of our military cooperation, military technical cooperation. We see that there are a lot of areas where we can conduct cooperation," said the defense minister.
Belarus, located in the western part of the Eastern European Plain, covers an area of 207,600 square kilometers with a population of approximately 9.16 million.
In 2024, the SCO Astana Summit approved Belarus' accession as a full member state, expanding the SCO's membership to 10 countries.
Khrenin said Belarus' decision to join the SOC stems from the organization's inherent appeal.
"The SCO is not some kind of political or military bloc. It is an organization created to expand cooperation in political and economic issues. And they are very close to us. And after all, there are not only geographical neighbors in the world. You can always find them in the world, friends who are close in spirit, in mentality, different countries, which is attractive to us. The SCO, roughly speaking, accounts for more than half of the world's population. That is why, of course, we want to be with the majority," he said.
As one of the important activities hosted by China as the SCO rotating president, the 2025 Defense Ministers' Meeting is expected to further consolidate and deepen the military mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation among SCO member countries.
China, Belarus boast huge cooperation potential: Belarusian defense minister
China, Belarus boast huge cooperation potential: Belarusian defense minister
