Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Russia between Monday and Thursday to take part in meetings on security and cooperation on the international stage, sources from both countries announced.
“At the invitation of Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Wang Yi will travel to Russia to participate in the 18th session of the China-Russia Strategic Security Consultation”the ministry said in a statement.
The Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that Wang Yi will also meet with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and that the two men will “focus efforts on strengthening cooperation on the international stage”.
“There will be a detailed exchange of views on issues related to resolving the situation in Ukraine and on ways to ensure stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region”said a spokesperson.
The leaders of China and Russia, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin respectively, declared a “borderless” friendship between the two countries on the eve of the invasion of China, which began in February 2022. Beijing blocked attempts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations and repeated Russian justifications for the attack.
China considers a partnership with its neighbor essential to counter the liberal democratic order led by the United States.
Last month, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu visited Russia and Belarus and called for closer military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow. In recent months, the two countries have conducted joint maritime and air patrols.
Last March, Xi paid a state visit to Russia. Putin should also travel to China in October, one of his advisers announced.
China has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the war in Ukraine while providing crucial diplomatic and financial support to Russia, which is increasingly isolated on the international stage.
Source: DN
