“The top priority is to cease fire and end the war, urge both sides to return to the negotiating table, establish emergency humanitarian assistance channels and prevent major humanitarian disasters,” Wang added. The meeting between the two ministers took place this morning at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing: In the long note that Chinese diplomacy published in the afternoon, reference is not made to Hamas – but to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians – under Other things The war between Ukraine and Russia is not mentioned in the topics discussed. However, much space will be devoted to the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, the New Silk Road launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013, and the third forum tomorrow and the day after, at which Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is expected to be present . China, Wang said, “will use the upcoming third forum as an opportunity to build broader international consensus and promote the joint construction of the Belt and Road into a new phase of high-quality development.” Beijing acknowledged Putin’s words of support for the establishment of the BRI and was hoping for further engagement. In 2024, China and Russia will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, a useful anniversary “to deepen strategic mutual trust.” For his part, Lavrov noted that relations between Russia and China continue to have positive dynamics. “Belt and Road” has become “an important platform for promoting international cooperation with the active participation of all parties” and benefits all of Eurasia. “President Putin looks forward to meeting and participating in the conference with President Xi and believes that this summit will be a complete success,” Lavrov added, according to the Chinese statement. Finally, both sides conducted strategic coordination to strengthen cooperation in multilateral contexts such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS.
