Moscow:Russia and China showcased their deepening ties Wednesday in a series of meetings in Moscow closely watched for signs that Beijing might offer stronger support to the Kremlin for its war in Ukraine. The visit by Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official, comes as the conflict in Ukraine continues to upend the global diplomatic order.
Relations between Russia and the West are at their lowest point since the Cold War, and ties between China and the US are also under serious strain. Moscow suspended its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with Washington this week. And the US expressed concern in recent days that China could provide arms and ammunition to Russia. Wang held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and met with President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking at the start of their talks, Lavrov noted that our ties have continued to develop dynamically, and despite high turbulence in the global arena we have shown the readiness to speak in defence of each other's interests. Wang responded in kind, underlining Beijing's focus on deepening ties with Russia a relationship it says has no limits. China has pointedly refused to criticise the invasion of Ukraine echoing Moscow's claim that the US and NATO are to blame for provoking the Kremlin while blasting the punishing sanctions imposed on Russia. Russia, in turn, has staunchly supported China amid tensions with the US over Taiwan.
The two nations have held a series of military drills that showcased their increasingly close defence ties. The rapprochement has worried the West, leading US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to warn that any Chinese involvement in the Kremlin's war effort would be a serious problem. Wang's talks with Lavrov followed his meeting Tuesday with Nikolai Patrushev, the powerful secretary of Russia's National Security Council, who called for closer cooperation with Beijing to counter what he described as Western efforts to maintain dominance by thwarting an alliance between China and Russia.