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Kawala Xie

For an outgoing ambassador in Beijing, farewell meetings have rarely been much fancier than those hosted for Moscow’s top envoy, Andrey Denisov.
Denisov, a seasoned China hand, is about to leave his post after serving for nearly a decade since 2013.
In the past month, Denisov has been granted meetings with a wide range of senior Chinese officials, including some who seldom receive ambassador level guests or almost never meet foreign dignitaries.
Among them are Li Zhanshu, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China and third ranking figure in the party’s power structure, and who kicked off a visit to Russia on Wednesday.
G7 leaders denounce China over Russia relations, human rights, Taiwan
Xia Baolong, the vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body, also met Denisov in his capacity of the head of a semi-official social group that promotes bilateral ties.
The list of meetings, which took place over the past month, did not stop there.
Denisov also met Qi Yu, the party chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Unlike other senior officials within the ministry, Qi is solely focused on the internal management of the ministry, including ideology and anti-corruption measures.
Denisov remains the only foreign ambassador Qi has met after assuming the ministry post in 2019. The pair had previously met that same year.
During his many meet-ups over the last month, Chinese officials have lavished high praise on Denisov’s commitment to strengthening China-Russia relations. Foreign Minister Wang Yi called him a “true friend” of the Chinese people, and thanked him for his contributions towards “safeguarding both countries’ legitimate and lawful rights and interests as well as to international fairness and justice”.


“The level of meetings and compliments Denisov has received recently are quite unprecedented. It is a manifestation of the achievements in China-Russia relations under his tenure,” said Yun Sun, director of the China Programme at the Stimson Centre, a Washington-based think tank. “But China was still showing restraint – Xi [Jinping] could have met with Denisov himself if Beijing really wants to go all out, but he did not,” she added.
Pan Dawei, director of the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the farewells that Denisov received show that China “fully confirms his contribution to bringing forward China-Russia relations,” which have been always robust despite any Western pressures.
Denisov has been one of the strongest voices among ambassadors in Beijing in speaking out on issues considered by Beijing to be core interests.
Denisov has regularly engaged in heated debates with Western envoys in the capital over their criticism of China’s behaviour. He called US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s August visit to Taiwan a “blatant provocation”, and insisted that the US and other countries should not interfere in China’s internal affairs.
In late August, Denisov handed out a friendship medal from Moscow to Shen Haixiong, director of state-run broadcaster CCTV. Shen is seen as a protégé of Xi’s, as he previously headed state news agency Xinhua’s division in Zhejiang, and later in Shanghai, during Xi’s stints in the two places.
Shen has also been a key player in China-Russia relations, having interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin twice, first in 2018 at the Kremlin and again this February in Beijing.
The meetings demonstrate the values and distinctiveness in the China-Russia relationship, but do not necessarily indicate “displays of unity” against the West, said Yang Cheng, executive president of the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies. Recent events, like joint military drills, are ultimately a function of the two countries’ own needs, he said.


The recent Vostok drills were the fourth joint military exercise involving both Russia and China in the past year, and do not include other missions such as sending strategic bombers and warships across island regions disputed by Japan.
Financial ties between the two countries have also strengthened. Trade between Russia and China has expanded by more than 50 per cent during Denisov’s term, from US$68.3 billion in 2013 to US$146.8 billion in 2021, according to data from China’s commerce ministry. Russia is also one of the largest gas suppliers to China, after striking a significant 30-year deal worth US$400 billion in 2014.
Russia is now China’s largest supplier of oil, as it continues to sell cheap crude amid sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. Li, the head of China’s legislature, also confirmed China will continue to strengthen “all-round cooperation” with Russia on trade, energy, and other areas during his visit to Russia.
“We will see more [cooperation] in these areas down the road … between China and Russia, cooperation and alignment will be the theme for the foreseeable future,” said the Stimson Centre’s Sun.
Xi and Putin show united front in message to Biden
But Jassie Cheng, a Chinese foreign policy specialist at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said that China-Russia ties are still limited.
“Currently, mutual trust between Russia and China is more focused on the personal level of the leaders and the work system around them, and it does not always translate very smoothly into concrete cooperation at the bottom level,” she said.
She added that whether Russia and China can completely put aside past grudges such as border disputes remains to be seen.
During Denisov’s tenure, relations between the two capitals have grown much closer, as both sides felt increasingly distant from Washington, especially in the last few years.
According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, Xi has met Putin 39 times between 2013 and 2022, more than any other foreign leader.
Denisov on Wednesday confirmed that Xi will meet Putin in person again during next week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan.


It will be Xi’s first trip abroad since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020.
Zhao Long, a Russia specialist at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said China and Russia are both key powers in regional and multilateral cooperation. Their shared geography and international responsibilities drive the rapid development of their relations.
“China-Russia relations are at their best period in history,” he said.
For his part, Denisov confirmed his departure to Russia’s Sputnik News last week, and might represent the district of Saratov in the Russian Senate once he returns to Russia. It’s not yet clear who will be appointed as the next Russian ambassador to China.


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China-Russia relations

Moscow’s man in China set to move on as ties between the countries strengthen

Andrey Denisov, the outgoing Russian Ambassador to China, meets with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, September 2. Under Denisov’s tenure, ties between Russia and China have strengthened considerably. Photo: Twitter

Energy deals in South China Sea are off limits if Russia wants strong China ties

Workers balance on a Chinese offshore oil platform in the South China Sea on July 27. The South China Sea is one of China’s red lines. Photo: Xinhua

Zolotoy Rog (Golden Horn) bay in Vladivostok, Russia. Photo: Shutterstock Royalty-free stock photo ID: 1221595153

epa07628012 Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shake hands at the end of their joint news conference following their talks at the Krenlin in Moscow, Russia, 05 June 2019. Chinese President is on a state visit in Russia. EPA-EFE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV / POOL

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s No 3 official, Li Zhanshu, arrive for the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Wednesday. Photo: Tass via AP

China’s top lawmaker Li Zhanshu attends the Eastern Economic Forum. Photo: AFP/Tass

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet in Samarkand, Uzbekistan next week. Photo: AP

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After a decade in his China post, Russia’s ambassador looks for his next position closer to home
Andrey Denisov helped forge stronger relationship between Moscow and Beijing



During his tenure, Russia’s ambassador to China helped build stronger ties, but analysts say many points of contention remain between the two countries.


Moscow’s man in China set to move on as ties between the countries strengthen

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} After a decade in his China post, Russia’s ambassador looks for his next position closer to home Andrey Denisov helped forge stronger relationship between Moscow and Beijing

After a decade in his China post, Russia’s ambassador looks for his next position closer to home

Andrey Denisov helped forge stronger relationship between Moscow and Beijing