Flags of China and Russia are displayed in this illustration image taken on March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration
BEIJING, March 30 – Moscow and Beijing are “more determined” to build bilateral ties and step up cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday after meeting in east China with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov amid the Ukraine crisis.
The two also condemned what they described as illegal and counterproductive Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Wang and Lavrov spoke in east China’s Anhui Province, where China is hosting two days of multilateral meetings on Afghanistan. Continue reading
“Both sides are more determined to build bilateral ties and more confident in promoting cooperation in various fields,” Wang said.
“China stands ready to work with Russia to elevate Sino-Russian relations to a higher level in a new era led by the consensus reached by world leaders,” he said.
“INTERNATIONAL TURBULENCE”
The meeting comes just over a month after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in what it calls a “special operation” that sparked unprecedented Western economic sanctions.
Russia looks to China for support and partnerships as it becomes more isolated from global financial systems and supply chains.
China has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine or call it an invasion. She reiterated her support for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov briefed Wang on the progress of military operations in Ukraine and the status of Moscow’s negotiations with Kyiv.
“The sides noted the counterproductive nature of the unlawful unilateral sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its satellites,” the ministry said in a statement.
The two ministers agreed that Russia and China would further strengthen their strategic partnership and “speak with one voice” on global affairs, she added.
China’s foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying the bilateral relationship “has withstood the test of international turmoil.”
Lavrov said Monday that Russia’s relations with China are at their strongest level ever.
On the eve of last month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, China and Russia declared a borderless strategic partnership.
Reuters reporting; Adaptation by Robert Birsel and Gareth Jones