Beijing, PTI
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Beijing on Monday to display the strength of ties with close diplomatically China amid Moscow’s grinding war against Ukraine.
The two continent-sized authoritarian states, increasingly in dispute with democracies, seek to gain influence in Africa, the Middle East and South America. China has backed Russia’s claim that President Vladimir Putin launched his assault in 2022 because of Western provocations, without producing any solid evidence.
Russian state said the ministers would discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Asia-Pacific region, issues of bilateral cooperation and interaction in the international arena, quoting Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Lavrov is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who has visited Russia during the conflict and maintained China’s line of not dubbing the Russian war in Ukraine an invasion.
China has at times taken an equally combative tone against the US and its allies. China and Russia have held joint military drills, and are seen as seeking to supplant democracies with dictatorships in areas where they wield influence.
Despite its clear backing of Russia in the Ukraine war, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters Monday that China has an objective and fair position on the Ukraine issue.
