Acs he celebrated closer ties with Beijing during discussions with China’s top diplomat, President Vladimir Putin said he is eager for his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to visit Russia.
Putin told Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi at talks in Moscow on Wednesday that cooperation between Russia and China is “extremely vital for stabilizing the international situation” and asked him to convey his greetings to “my friend” Xi. According to Putin, Russia and China are achieving “new milestones,” including in commerce, which could reach $200 billion before their 2024 target.
The “strategic” ties between Moscow and Beijing won’t be subject to pressure from any third parties, Wang retorted. “The current world situation is definitely crucial and complex, but the relationship between China and Russia is solid as a mountain and can bear the test of international threats.
Wang’s trip to Moscow over a year after Putin gave the order for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine demonstrates that, despite Beijing’s efforts to minimize the war’s effects, China has little intention of giving up on its steadfast diplomatic ally. The United States and Europe have expressed skepticism over China’s plan to bring peace to Ukraine, which it has promised to reveal in the near future.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Wang at weekend talks in Munich against China providing lethal aid to Putin’s war, even as Beijing moves to portray itself as a neutral actor that can broker peace in Ukraine.
Wang and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev affirmed at talks on Tuesday that their nations are aligned in pushing back against the U.S. and allies, pledging to “jointly practice true multilateralism, oppose all forms of unilateral bullying, and promote democracy in international relations and a multi-polar world.”
Patrushev was present with Putin at the Kremlin meeting along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who’d held separate talks with Wang earlier Wednesday.
