Putin said that relations with China are developing well
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, met with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who is currently visiting Moscow, coinciding with the meeting of the US President, Joe Biden, with the leaders of Eastern European countries.
Putin said that relations with China are developing well, adding that the two countries may record new levels in trade exchanges during the current year.
Putin told the Chinese top diplomat that he wanted to hold talks with him on the current international situation, which he described as “difficult”.
The Russian president confirmed his aspiration for a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow.
For his part, Wang Yi pledged that Sino-Russian relations will not be subject to pressure from other countries.
He added that the two countries are ready to deepen strategic cooperation, and said that Beijing is ready to strengthen its partnership with Moscow for the benefit of the two countries and the whole world.
Putin’s meeting comes after a meeting between Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, during his visit, following US accusations that Beijing is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition in order to continue the war in Ukraine.
image copyright EPA
China’s top diplomat has confirmed that he will work to “strengthen and deepen” relations between Moscow and Beijing
“Thanks to the efforts” of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the relationship between the two countries is developing “in a very dynamic way,” Wang Yi told Lavrov.
“Russia and China remain determined and committed to a multipolar world without hegemony,” he added.
The Chinese top diplomat confirmed that he will work to “strengthen and deepen” relations between Moscow and Beijing and expects to reach new agreements today.
This followed an earlier meeting between Wang Yi and the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev.
An official statement said that the two sides, Chinese and Russian, aim to promote “peace and stability” during talks that came nearly a year after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Wang Yi and Patrushev said they were “opposed to introducing the idea of the Cold War,” despite this, and Beijing has been accused of sending dual-use technology to support Russia’s war effort.
image copyright Reuters
This comes at a time when the United States is seeking to put more pressure on Russia to stop the war by imposing new sanctions.
“There is a lot to talk about,” the Kremlin told the BBC.
There is high speculation in Beijing hinting at plans underway for Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Russia in the coming months.
This comes at a time when US President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet leaders of Eastern European countries on Wednesday, a day after he pledged that Russia would not see any victory in Ukraine.
However, Putin said Russia would continue its nearly year-old war, accused the West on Tuesday of escalating the conflict, and announced that Moscow would suspend its participation in New START with Washington, a treaty between the United States and Russia to reduce strategic arms.
The Russian president said that increasingly stringent sanctions against his country “will not work” and vowed that his country would continue to struggle to achieve its goals “systematically”.
image copyright Reuters
Biden and Putin at their summit in 2021
Does China support Russia militarily?
In light of severe Western sanctions imposed on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, especially preventing the export and import of oil and advanced technology, and in light of many Western companies completely cutting commercial relations with Russia, China’s trade with Moscow recorded a record value of $ 190 billion in 2022, an increase of 30 percent over the previous year.
However, the US is hinting that Beijing is considering supplying arms and ammunition to Russia, allegations China vehemently denies.
China had earlier denied allegations by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that Beijing was supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia.
Blinken told CBS News that Chinese companies already provide “non-lethal support” to Russia, and that the new information indicates that Beijing could provide “lethal support.”
And the US Secretary of State warned that this escalation would mean “serious consequences” for China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has not yet condemned the Russian invasion, but has sought to remain neutral in the conflict and called for peace.
Concerns about Chinese support for Russia come at a time when NATO members, including the United States, are sending a variety of weapons, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine, including tanks.
But the alliance has so far refrained from sending combat aircraft, and Blinken did not clarify whether the United States would help other countries supply the aircraft to Ukraine.
And it was issued by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies in the United States that Chinese companies may send electronic parts for anti-aircraft missile radars.
The United States has imposed sanctions on a Chinese company that it says provided satellite imagery to support Russian mercenary forces fighting in Ukraine.
