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Is Lukashenko really the second guest after Putin at Xi Jinping’s private residence? We fact-checked the CTV anchor’s statement
Alexander Lukashenko himself said he was honored by the reception.
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Lukashenko in early June 2025 at a restricted government compound, where, according to CTV anchor Olga Korshun, only Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously visited among foreign leaders. The Weekly Top Fake team investigated who else has visited the residence.
In early June, Alexander Lukashenko visited China and met with President Xi Jinping at a restricted government compound. Xi invited him to return in late August or early September for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan. On June 8, 2025, anchor Olga Korshun said on CTV that Xi Jinping welcomes only exceptional guests at the residence where the meeting took place.
"The president said he was honored by such a warm welcome. It’s truly a rare privilege. It’s worth noting that, according to the report, Xi Jinping had previously received only Vladimir Putin at his residence besides Alexander Lukashenko."
The residence in question is Zhongnanhai, a restricted government compound in Beijing that houses the offices of China’s top authorities, the State Council, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party. That’s why it’s sometimes called the Kremlin of Beijing or the Chinese White House. The compound mainly hosts meetings for China’s inner political circle. Zhongnanhai is indeed rarely mentioned in news reports about visits by foreign delegations. However, Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin are not the only ones who have been invited there.
In 2018, Xi Jinping welcomed the Dutch royal couple—King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima—at the residence. The visit was reported by China’s largest state-run media outlet. In 2014, the Chinese president met with U.S. President Barack Obama at Zhongnanhai. In 2022, Xi Jinping also welcomed Dmitry Medvedev, leader of the United Russia party, at the same residence during his visit to China at the invitation of the Communist Party.
