BEIJING — China’s foreign minister on Monday called Russia his country’s “most important strategic partner” and vowed to maintain this “strategic focus and promote the development of a comprehensive China-Russia partnership in the new era,” despite growing pressure from the U.S. and European Union on China to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine which Beijing continues to refuse.
Wang Yi said Chinese ties with Moscow constitute “one of the most crucial bilateral relationships in the world.”
It was reported last week, Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart that Beijing “regrets” the conflict and hopes the two sides can find a diplomatic solution.
However, Beijing does not agree with the U.S., Europe and others that have imposed sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. It said the sanctions could create only new issues and threaten a political settlement of the conflict.
“No matter how perilous the international landscape, we will maintain our strategic focus and promote the development of a comprehensive China-Russia partnership in the new era.
“The friendship between the two peoples is iron clad,” Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China’s ceremonial parliament, according to the international media.
On Feb. 4, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Beijing and affirmed “strong mutual support for the protection of their core interests.”
According to ABC, both countries agreed to protect each other interest. China backed Russia in opposing the further enlargement of NATO, while Russia supports China’s view of self-governing Taiwan and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan.”
Even though Xi seemed to urge Putin in a call last week to resolve the crisis by forming a “sustainable European security mechanism through negotiations”, China would not go further in influencing Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine.
On a telephone call late on Feb.27 of this year, Wang Yi warned U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that “all parties should stay calm and refrain from doing things that agitate tensions and hype up the crisis,” a statement from China’s foreign ministry said.
Russia has invaded Ukraine for 3 weeks now, and demands NATO pull back troops and weapons from eastern Europe and bar Ukraine, a former Soviet state, from ever joining the alliance.-Malaysia World News
