Beijing, 03 February 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Ministers of Russia Sergei Lavrov and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a meeting in Beijing on Thursday.
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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov & Wang Yi met and held talks in Beijing on February 3. pic.twitter.com/9x7ShJRajH
The meeting was focused on guaranteeing closer coordination between the two countries on many important issues.
The meeting was held a day before a scheduled meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing.
Today extraordinary ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic games will be held at the beautiful built Beijing National Stadium.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said this meeting holds great significance and is the first of its kind in two years. He said the purpose of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was to make the final political preparations for the state talks between the heads of state of China and Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said the meeting between the presidents of China and Russia is of great importance since it would help strengthen Russia-China relations, promote the development of the structure of a modern international relations system and upgrade global sustainable development.
Lavrov said that both countries have a consensus on High-level strategic cooperation between Russia and China which is not influenced by international politics and is beneficial to the stability and predictability of international relations.
Foreign Minister Wang appreciated the achievements in bilateral relations over the past year and expressed the Chinese side’s commitment to strengthen the strategic cooperation between China and Russia.
Russia-China Agreement
In June 2021, China and Russia had an agreement to extend their Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation for the next five years.
Wang shared that China will work with Russia to protect international justice and equality for the people of China and Russia as well as around the world.
Trade between Russia and China
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) witnessed a rise in China & Russia trade. Despite the global recession, trade between China and Russia rose to 35.9% annually, about $146.87 billion in 2021 which is the highest level in history.
Wang added that China is keen to develop the interconnectivity with Russia, promote the whole-industrial-chain cooperation on energy, and also work together to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lavrov appreciated the efforts made by China to expand cooperation between the two countries, and support to improve the bridging between the ‘Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the ‘Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Despite the pandemic, he also expressed his appreciation for Beijing’s extraordinary ability to host a remarkable international sporting event.
Both parties agreed to promote the Olympic spirit, oppose the politicization of sports and support the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Research Scholar in Regional Studies of China, Russia & Central Asia. A Development & Human Rights/Women Empowerment Professional and a Social Entrepreneur. Interested in International Diplomacy, Development, and policy affairs.
