Chinese FM’s Visit
During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister (FM) Sergey Lavrov and Deputy FMs Rudenko Andrey Yurevich and Vershinin Sergey Vasilievich on Thursday, Chinese Vice FM Ma Zhaoxu said that their “political mutual trust” has “continued to deepen.”
He noted that their cooperation in various fields has “steadily advanced” and international cooperation has also “become closer.”
Ma added that their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination continued to maintain a “momentum of high-level development” under the “strategic guidance” of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
"#China is ready to work with #Russia to earnestly implement the important common understandings reached b/t the two heads of state and promote new progress in bilateral relations in the new year." VFM Ma Zhaoxu met w/ #Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and held consultations w/ DFMs pic.twitter.com/2ad4r7WfHV
— Zhou Li周莉 (@Zhou_Li_CHN) February 6, 2023
He further assured that Beijing will work with Moscow to “promote new progress” in relations in the future.
Underscoring the importance of the relationship, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during her regular press conference on Friday that China’s relationship with Russia is grounded by strong internal dynamics and “based on non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of any third party.”
“Both sides will continue to advance cooperation in various fields,” she asserted.
Russia, China Against the US
Xi Jinping has met with Vladimir Putin one-on-one 39 times since taking office—twice as many times as he has met with any other leader. Learn how their personal relationship is a unique feature of the China-Russia relationship: https://t.co/OPJTb8mdYk pic.twitter.com/vIWe9xzQrf
— ChinaPower (@ChinaPowerCSIS) January 31, 2023
The assurances of trust came at the heels of Chinese FM Qin Gang’s phone call with Lavrov last month, during which they agreed to continue strengthening relations.
Both leaders also jointly rejected the US’ policy “to establish a hegemony in global affairs” to “provoke confrontation with Russia and China.”
During a videoconference with Putin in December, in a veiled reference to the US, Xi had said that there was an ongoing “tug of war” between those wanting to “revert to a Cold War mentality, provoke division and antagonism, and stoke confrontation between blocs” and those wanting to “promote equality, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation,” which was “testing the wisdom of statesmen in major countries.”