Belarus leader and Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko on three-day China visit

Beijing: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, is due in Beijing to begin a three-day state visit Tuesday as geopolitical tensions rise over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. China says the visit is an "opportunity to promote the further development of all-around cooperation between the two countries," but there have been growing concerns that China is considering providing military assistance to Russia, something United States officials say would bring serious consequences. China has called the US allegations a smear campaign, saying it is committed to promoting peace talks and accusing Washington and its allies of…