China’s top diplomat heads to Russia on security talks mission

Name: China, Russia foreign ministers meet as countries stand ‘back to back’ amid rise in US tensions
Uploaded: 2021-05-23T12:30:19.000Z
Duration: 1 min 12 s
Description: China, Russia foreign ministers meet as countries stand ‘back to back’ amid rise in US tensions

Yang Jiechi will meet Nikolai Patrushev for the latest round of strategic consultations between the two countries

Moscow and Beijing play up cooperation as poor relations persist with Washington

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Politburo member Yang Jiechi will be in Moscow for talks. Photo: AP

Kinling Lo

Published: 8:30pm, 23 May 2021Updated: 11:19pm, 23 May 2021

China’s top diplomat will visit Russia next week for strategic talks as the two countries try to strengthen ties in the face of tensions with the United States.

Yang Jiechi, a member of China’s Communist Party Politburo, will co-chair the 16th China-Russia strategic security consultation with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, China’s foreign ministry said on Sunday.

Yang, who is regarded as President Xi Jinping’s most trusted foreign policy aide, will also visit Slovenia and Croatia in the four-day trip, which starts on Monday.

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China, Russia foreign ministers meet as countries stand ‘back to back’ amid rise in US tensions

The talks come as China and Russia’s relations with the United States languish.

Both Beijing and Moscow have accused Washington of “forming small circles to seek bloc confrontation” by forging closer ties through alliances such as the “Quad”.

The two countries have vowed to work together to resist any attempt to create a “geopolitical turbulence belt”.

China and Russia have sought to play up their relationship since the start of this year.