MINSK, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 vaccine aid provided to Belarus by the Chinese government has arrived in Belarus.

At a handover ceremony of the vaccines at the airport here on Friday, Belarusian Health Minister Dmitry Pinevich expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for providing such valuable vaccines.

China has provided the vaccines in support of the important consensus reached during a recent telephone conversation between the heads of state of the two countries, and the gesture proves once again that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Belarus and China can stand the test of hardships, Pinevich said.

Chinese Ambassador to Belarus Xie Xiaoyong said that China is offering this assistance to express the friendly feelings of the government and people of China towards the government and people of Belarus.

The diplomat stressed that in the face of huge demand for COVID-19 vaccines in China and abroad, China's assistance in providing Belarus with the vaccines is a tangible embodiment of the high level of Chinese-Belarusian relations and a concrete step towards the implementation of important agreements between the heads of the two states.