{"id":153777,"date":"2025-09-04T13:28:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T10:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/153777\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T13:28:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T10:28:52","slug":"beijing-problem-for-lukasenka-how-to-appease-xi-putin-and-trump","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/153777\/","title":{"rendered":"Beijing problem for \u0141uka\u0161enka: how to appease Xi, Putin and Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cPlease give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America,\u201d US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, commenting on China\u2019s Victory Day military parade in Beijing on September 3.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event brought together, for the first time, the leaders of China, Russia and North Korea. Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka was also present, alongside more than two dozen foreign heads of state. His recent contacts with both Washington and Beijing have elevated Belarus\u2019 political visibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Troops marching at the military parade in Beijing on September 3\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Belarusian leader's press office)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Big chessboard games<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Opening the parade, host Xi Jinping declared that \u201cthe rejuvenation of the Chinese nation\u201d was unstoppable. He stressed that \u201cChina is never intimidated by any bullies,\u201d a thinly veiled reference to the United States. The parade showcased China\u2019s growing global influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka seeks not only economic benefits from cooperation with China\u2014although he was accompanied by loyal businessmen such as Siarhiej Ciacieryn and D\u017amitryj Baska\u016d\u2014but also sees Beijing as a counterweight to Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia itself is sliding into a position of dependency on China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China rewrites history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), along with the military display, was another attempt by China to present itself as a global leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A superpower, however, is expected to have a glorious past. This explains why Chinese authorities exaggerate their country\u2019s role in the Allied victory in World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China did fight against Japanese occupation, but claiming this was the decisive factor in the global war is misleading. It should be remembered that China\u2019s resistance was heavily supported by both the Soviet Union and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump himself noted that Xi should have mentioned America\u2019s contribution in his speech, saying: \u201cWe helped China very, very much\u201d in World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What \u0141uka\u0161enka said in China<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Beijing, the Belarusian ruler praised Xi and China\u2019s achievements while also commending Putin and Trump for their recent talks in Alaska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe applauded you very much. Both sides\u2014one should not say there was a winner or loser. You both did very well,\u201d \u0141uka\u0161enka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pledged loyalty to Putin, promising to stand with him \u201cuntil the end\u201d and to \u201cstop Nazism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka also recalled: \u201cWhen the US president called \u2026 I said we are one country [with Russia].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speculation about \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Opposition media highlighted that \u0141uka\u0161enka was visibly hobbling as leaders walked the red carpet in Tiananmen Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day before, at his meeting with Putin, he expressed concern about the heat: \u201cIt will be really hot\u2014up to 40, 35 [degrees Celsius]. It will be even hot for you. I am thinking, how will I endure under the sun? But they say they will ensure [a comfortable temperature on the podium].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year earlier, Dozhd<\/em> reported that \u0141uka\u0161enka nearly collapsed during the SCO summit in Astana. His opponents now hope that declining health might open opportunities for political change in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 22, \u0141uka\u0161enka addressed these rumors directly. Referring to claims that he was close to death, he told state propagandists: \u201cI have recently completed my life\u2019s first full medical examination over two days . . . I don\u2019t mind, give all the tests [to the media], let them publish. The more so, I am happy\u2014keep your fingers crossed\u2014I am OK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As expected, state media never released the results, though they could easily have forged them if they wished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka also remarked that \u201csome secret services, including those of friendly countries, are probing into the president\u2019s health\u201d\u2014a thinly veiled reference to Russia. The Kremlin is clearly watching for the right moment to replace \u0141uka\u0161enka with a more reliable puppet. For Moscow, he is not fully compliant\u2014while what it wants is a 100-percent vassal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dictators dreaming of immortality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Putin, too, seems intent on ruling forever. During the live broadcast of the parade, he and Xi discussed biotechnologies to extend life. Putin even mused that \u201cpeople will be able to become immortal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dwelling on mortality is difficult for anyone\u2014but especially for autocrats who see themselves as irreplaceable, even chosen by God. Obsessed with power and its privileges, they cannot imagine life without it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka is a striking example. In a July interview with Time<\/em>, journalist Simon Shuster asked if he planned to run again. \u201cListen, if Trump is nearly 80, and he looks great,\u201d replied the 71-year-old leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if he already struggles with heat now, how could a 76-year-old \u0141uka\u0161enka endure the rigors of another presidential campaign in 2030?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not surprisingly, at his meeting with Xi on August 31, he admitted: \u201cPersonally, I have come to the point where we must copy something from you in terms of the political structure of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was almost certainly referring to China\u2019s system of selecting leaders through a narrow circle of loyal elites in the People\u2019s Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adopting such a model in Belarus would immediately reignite debates over his legitimacy. That is why he hesitates, carefully weighing the risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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