Meeting with Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Wang Qishan

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Wang Qishan in a countryside residence in the evening on 28 May. The meeting was held as a working supper.

Aleksandr Lukashenko and Wang Qishan warmly greeted each other. The President noted that there were a number of matters the sides would have to discuss. In turn, the vice President shared his impressions of the visit to the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone and spoke highly of the negotiations with representatives of the Belarusian government.

Aleksandr Lukashenko invited Wang Qishan to come to see the local spring well where the Chinese guest could drink pure water with unique qualities.

After visiting the spring well and after a tour of the residence Aleksandr Lukashenko and Wang Qishan spent some time in the tea house enjoying Chinese tea and Belarusian jam. They discussed the situation in the world and international relations then.

The conversation about the bilateral relations continued over supper in a Belarusian fashion. The guest was offered draniki (grated potato pancakes), Belarusian pelmeni (meat dumplings wrapped in dough), and a roast duck. For the dessert Aleksandr Lukashenko offered his signature dish — curd rolls with ice cream and strawberries.

It is remarkable that the choice of the dishes available during the supper was prompted by the Chinese tradition but influenced by Belarusian zest. For instance, instead of rice flour the Belarusian pelmeni used wheat flour. Instead of Pecking duck the Chinese guest was offered duck with giblets.

The choice of the Belarus President’s countryside residence as the venue for the meeting also underlined the particularly friendly and strategic nature of Belarusian-Chinese relations. Aleksandr Lukashenko welcomes only the most respected and dearest guests in this manner.