(Bloomberg) – A day after Moscow defused the main threat to President Vladimir Putin’s rule, China said it supports Russia’s measures to maintain national stability.
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The brief statement by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, who described the weekend’s events as “Russia’s internal affairs,” came after Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko in Beijing.
Adding to an earlier comment from Beijing that the two had exchanged views on international and regional issues of common interest.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu also met with Rudenko on Sunday and vowed to defend the countries’ common interests amid a “complex and grim” international environment.
Mutual political trust between Beijing and Moscow has grown under Putin and President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Ma in another statement.
Read more: Silence shrouds Kremlin after Russian mutiny against Putin
In a TV show to the nation on Saturday, Putin spoke of “treason” as militia officers loyal to Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin made their way north towards Moscow. As part of an agreement to end the uprising, the Russian president guaranteed late Sunday that Prigozhin would be allowed to travel to Belarus and that authorities would drop criminal mutiny charges against him and his fighters, the Kremlin said.
“The Chinese side expressed its support for the efforts of the Russian leadership to stabilize the situation in the country in connection with the events of June 24 and reiterated its interest in strengthening Russia’s cohesion and further prosperity,” one said Statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry on its website.
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The ministry said Rudenko was on a work trip and the consultations were scheduled.
Blinken says Wagner uprising is a “direct challenge” to Putin
The weekend’s events in Russia were covered by Chinese state media, including People’s Daily and China Central Television. Global Times published an article by former editor-in-chief Hu Xijin analyzing what scenarios the uprising could lead to, including regime change. Xi has a close relationship with Putin and visited him in Moscow in March.
The official Xinhua News Agency said in a Chinese-language article that Russian “representatives from all parts of the nation, dignitaries and religious leaders condemned the incident in the strongest possible terms and made it clear that they were on the side of the Russian federal government, stability and peace .” .”
The topic has also been a hot topic on China’s social media, with users sharing screenshots of Twitter discussions. Some compared Prigozhin’s actions to the An Lushan Rebellion that began in AD 755, when a disgruntled general and favorite of the emperor used his troops to seize the eastern capital and proclaim himself emperor. Although the uprising ultimately failed, it led to a weakening of the Tang Dynasty.
A Weibo account run by a section of the People’s Liberation Army ran a China National Radio report on how Mao Zedong reshaped the army in 1927 – an event that ensured the party retained absolute control of the army.
– With the support of Jing Li and Xiao Zibang.
(Updates with comments from Xinhua News Agency.)
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