China’s Wang Yi and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov discuss Ukraine after Saudi peace talks held without Moscow
- The Chinese diplomat says Beijing will continue to ‘uphold an independent and fair stance’ on the conflict
- The foreign ministers also hailed the ‘practical cooperation’ between the two superpowers
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The foreign ministers of China and Russia hailed the “practical cooperation” between the two global powers in a phone call on Monday, Beijing said.
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told his counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Beijing and Moscow “should continue to maintain close strategic coordination, promote world multipolarisation and the democratisation of international relations”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
The newly reappointed foreign minister praised recent progress in “practical cooperation” between the two countries during a discussion that also touched on the ongoing fighting in Ukraine, Beijing said.
Speaking on the crisis in Ukraine following Moscow’s invasion last year, Wang said that China would continue to “uphold an independent and fair stance”, encouraging involved parties to commence peace talks.
The call came after more than 40 countries, including China, India, the United States and European countries, but not Russia, took part in international talks in Saudi Arabia over the weekend on finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis.
China sent its Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs and former ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, who in May toured six European capitals to try to find common ground for an eventual political settlement of the conflict, now in its 18th month.
During Monday’s call, Wang said: “The most important present task for [Beijing and Moscow] is to continue to implement the important consensus reached by their two heads of state and push forward continued high-level development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.”
Wang, a seasoned diplomat and senior politician in China’s ruling Communist Party, was reappointed as foreign minister in late July following the prolonged and unexplained disappearance of his predecessor Qin Gang.
Beijing and Moscow have maintained an increasingly close bilateral relationship in recent years as both countries’ ties with the West have plummeted.
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Russia’s foreign ministry said in its own statement on Monday that the ministers rejected “the confrontational policy of the Western bloc towards Russia and China”.
“The contact … once again confirmed the unity or broad harmony of Moscow and Beijing’s approaches to world affairs,” the statement said.
China has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the conflict while maintaining close ties with strategic ally Russia.
Since Russian tanks rolled over the border into Ukraine, Beijing has offered Putin diplomatic and financial support, but has refrained from overt military involvement or sending lethal arms.
Additional reporting by Reuters
