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.

The Russian offensive was not mentioned in the Belarusian statement on the visit.

China, a close partner of Moscow, has never publicly condemned Russia for its offensive, despite calls to do so by the United States, its European allies and others.

Belarus borders both Ukraine and Russia, countries it is highly dependent on both financially and politically.