Lukashenko: Belarus Should Develop Quietly, Without Rushing, in the Chinese Way

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in an interview with China Media Group, shared how Belarusians have adopted the Chinese approach when faced with the choice between East and West, reports BELTA.

Answering a question about his vision for Belarus’s future, the head of state emphasized that our country is historically and geographically situated between the East and the West, which has always pressured us to choose one side or the other. This was particularly felt in the period following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

"At that time, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, I often say that Belarus was the most Soviet of republics. It was the most loyal republic within the Soviet Union," he noted.

"Our people are internationalist, accustomed to living in friendship and harmony."

In the early 1990s, Belarus’s economy found itself in a difficult situation due to the breakdown of cooperative ties. Previously, components and resources from Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and the Baltic states flowed into Belarus. In return, Belarus produced finished goods for sale within the Soviet Union and beyond.

"By the way, this explains the high level of intellectual and educational development of our people. We were producing finished products: tractors, automobiles, agricultural equipment, chemicals, petrochemicals, and more. Everything was focused on creating a final product," the President explained. He pointed out that the goods manufactured in Belarus were of the highest quality because otherwise, they simply wouldn’t have been purchased abroad.

The rupture of established supply chains was profoundly painful for both the economy and the country as a whole. At that moment, the critical question arose: which way should Belarus move forward? Which development path should be taken?

"Our nationalists (who, by the way, led Ukraine into war) shouted that we didn’t need China or Russia, that we should forge our own path, perhaps with Poland or the Americans," Lukashenko recalled.

"If we had acted differently—if we had rushed westward—we wouldn’t have a country today. It would have disintegrated, and our economy would have vanished. Like some other post-Soviet republics, we would have been plagued by constant color revolutions. That would have been a gift to the West."

Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus, in the face of a difficult choice, behaved, metaphorically speaking, like the Chinese—calmly, thoughtfully, without abrupt revolutionary decisions. "We paused, understood that we shouldn’t abandon what we have. Instead, we must develop, improve, and modernize it. We must not lose our friends who supply us with raw materials and resources, nor the markets where we sell our products," he said.

He believes that Belarus’s future development should follow this same path: quietly, peacefully, without haste, through evolution rather than upheaval.

The President also mentioned that even U.S. President Donald Trump recently acknowledged Belarus’s challenging geopolitical position during a phone conversation. "In the world, there is no other country like ours, which finds itself in such a difficult situation," Lukashenko recounted. "When Donald and I spoke (on August 15), we discussed various issues for about 35 minutes… He probably wasn’t expecting such a conversation. But we started talking, and he said to me: ‘I wish you success. Your country is in such a complex place and period that only a strong leader can handle it,’" the Belarusian leader shared.

"When he studied the situation and learned about Belarus, he saw that we face difficulties both east and west, with war in the south and Baltic neighbors to the north—some of whom are quite unhinged," Lukashenko added. "He agreed that Belarus is in a very complex situation."