Chinese Foreign Minister (FM) Wang Yi met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, where they talked about strengthening cooperation in the face of international challenges.
China’s Comments
Wang said that China and Russia’s bilateral cooperation “does not target any third party, is not subject to disruption by any third party, and is not swayed by any third party.”
As “major countries” and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia “bear important responsibilities for maintaining global strategic stability and promoting world development and progress,” he said.
The Chinese FM added that “in the face of mounting unilateral acts, hegemonism and bloc confrontation,” the two powers should “demonstrate the responsibilities of major countries, fulfill their due international obligations, and uphold true multilateralism and promote a multi-polar world through continuously strengthening strategic cooperation,” so as to “make global governance more just and equitable.”
🇷🇺🇨🇳 Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi meet in Moscow 🤝#RussiaChina pic.twitter.com/PG7SQdGZYv
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) September 18, 2023
Russia’s Comments
Referring to “complex and drastic changes” in the international community, the Russian FM suggested that Russia and China “further strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks,” such as the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in order to “jointly safeguard the basic norms governing international relations.”
Both FMs applauded the expansion of the BRICS, with Lavrov assuring that, as the rotating chair of the multilateral grouping, Russia will work with China “to achieve greater development of the BRICS cooperation mechanism.”
🇷🇺🇨🇳 On September 18, FMs Sergey #Lavrov & Wang Yi held talks in Moscow.
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) September 19, 2023
The Ministers spoke highly of the current state of Russian-Chinese relations which continue to develop dynamically despite the tense international political situationhttps://t.co/QJarHc2WjO#RussiaChina pic.twitter.com/rg2yTTCXPN
On the Ukraine War, Lavrov applauded China’s position paper “for accommodating the security concerns of all parties and being conducive to eliminating the root causes of the conflict.”
Russia “will continue to be open to negotiations and dialogue,” he said.
Lavrov added that Moscow is willing to deepen cooperation in economy and trade, cultural exchanges, and sports.
Growing Closeness
Following their meeting, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said, “Amid the campaign unleashed by the collective West that is aimed at the double containment of Russia and China, it’s particularly important to further deepen Russian-Chinese coordination and interaction on the international arena.
He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to hold “substantive” talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during his trip to Beijing next month, where he will attend a summit of the Chinese Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
China-US Talks
Wang’s meeting with Lavrov comes days after his meeting with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta, where he urged Washington to refrain from supporting “Taiwan independence.”