China hails strong Russia ties ‘no matter’ what, vows to safeguard common interests
- Chinese vice foreign minister meets Russian envoy day before UN debate on limiting veto power of Security Council permanent members
- The US and its allies continue to fiercely criticise China over close ties with Russia and refusal to denounce Ukraine invasion
China has hailed the “resilience” of its ties with Russia, renewing its pledge to deepen bilateral “strategic coordination” as Moscow is left increasingly isolated over its invasion of Ukraine.
The remarks from vice foreign minister Le Yucheng underlined the Chinese stance when he met Russian ambassador Andrey Denisov in Beijing on Monday.
“No matter how the international situation evolves, China will, as always, strengthen strategic coordination with the Russian side to achieve win-win cooperation and jointly safeguard common interests,” Le told Denisov, a statement on the Chinese foreign ministry website said.
Bilateral trade increased by almost 30 per cent in the first quarter of this year to cross US$38 billion, according to Le, a top-ranking vice-minister and fluent Russian speaker.
It “fully demonstrates the great resilience … of the cooperation between the two countries”, he told the Russian diplomat.
01:45
China says ‘no limits’ in cooperation with Russia
In response, Denisov said Moscow treated China ties as a diplomatic priority, and was willing to “further deepen the comprehensive strategic coordination and all-round practical cooperation … so as to safeguard international justice and equity”, according to the Chinese readout.