After talks in Beijing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that China and Russia will further strengthen security cooperation in Europe and Asia.
Lavrov added that the two countries agreed to “start a dialogue with the involvement of our other like-minded people on this issue.” The countries are rivals with the United States and its allies for influence around the world
In a meeting with Xi Jinping, Lavrov lavished praise on the Chinese president, according to Russian media.
The reports quoted Lavrov telling Xi that Russia “would like to express our highest appreciation and admiration for the successes you have achieved over the years, and above all, over the past decade under your leadership.”
Moscow has pushed for stronger diplomatic and economic ties with Beijing as Russia has become increasingly isolated by sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, Lavrov met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to discuss the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. Russia and China align on several issues and have increasingly been in disputes with democracies and NATO members.
Wang said Russia and China should oppose “any ‘small circle’ that engages in bloc confrontation,” adding that “NATO should not extend its hand to our common homeland.”
Lavrov’s visit coincides with the end of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s four days of talks in Beijing.
Yellen said she had “difficult conversations” with the officials about national security, including U.S. concerns that Chinese companies have been supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “China continues to provide materials to support Russia’s defense industrial base.”
Despite maintaining robust economic ties with Russia, China has asserted that it has not been providing arms or military assistance to Russia. On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that “China has an objective and fair position on the Ukraine issue.”
She added that “China is not a creator or party to the Ukraine crisis, and we have not and will not do anything to profit from it.”
Just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “no limits” agreement on the countries’ relationship.
Since the agreement, China has supported Russia’s rhetoric surrounding the invasion, agreeing that Western forces provoked the conflict. However, Beijing is formally urging peace talks to end the conflict.
Mao said Monday that Beijing would “continue to promote peace talks in our own way [and] maintain communication with relevant parties, including Russia and Ukraine.”
She added that “relevant countries should not smear and attack the normal state-to-state relations between China and Russia … let alone shift the blame onto China and provoke bloc confrontation.”
Since invading Ukraine, Russia has faced scores of sanctions, largely isolating the country from the Western world. As a result, diplomatic and economic ties between Moscow and Beijing have strengthened, making Russia China’s fastest-growing trade partner.
The two countries have also increased strategic cooperation, holding military drills together and aiming to influence developing nations through various initiatives.
Last month, Sun Weidong, China's vice minister of foreign affairs, said Beijing’s ties with Moscow were “at their best in history.”
Reuters reports that Putin will travel to China in May for talks with Xi, which could be his first trip abroad since being reelected.
The Kremlin announced that Putin and Xi may plan to be in contact, but a specific time frame was not given.
Some information in this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
