Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Russia between this Monday and Thursday to participate in meetings on security and collaboration 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 Consultations,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that Wang Yi will also meet with his counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, and that both will “concentrate efforts on strengthening collaboration on the international scene.”
“There will be a detailed exchange of views on issues related to the resolution of the situation in Ukraine and on ways to ensure stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region,” a spokesperson said.
The leaders of China and Russia, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, respectively, declared, on the eve of the invasion of China, which began in February 2022, an “unlimited” friendship between the two countries. Beijing blocked efforts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations and repeated Russian justifications for the attack.
China considers 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 carried out 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 offering Russia, increasingly isolated on the international stage, crucial diplomatic and financial support.
Source: TSF
