Belarusian leader to meet Xi

MOSCOW, Dec 03 (AFP): Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Moscow, is visiting China Sunday and Monday to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping, the Belarusian presidency said.

On Monday, he will hold talks with Xi on issues including "trade, the economy, investment and international cooperation", the presidency said in a statement Sunday, without specifying if Lukashenko had already arrived in Beijing.

Lukashenko was last in China at the end of February and early March, a visit that was closely scrutinised in the context of Russia's offensive in Ukraine.