Wang meets Putin, vows to advance partnership

Visit: Nations agree to promote peace, stability

The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership "never targets any third party" and is not subject to a third party's disturbance or coercion, senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said when meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday during his visit to Russia.

During the two meetings, Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that the two countries maintain the high-level operations of their partnership and have always kept a cool head when facing profound changes in the international situation.

No matter how the international situation changes, "China is ready to work with Russia to maintain the good momentum of the new type of relations between major countries", he said.

Beijing is also ready to work with Moscow on overall planning for high-level exchanges and to resume dialogues and cooperative mechanisms that were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic to push for greater growth of the relations, Wang added.

Putin said Russia-China relations are advancing toward set goals, and both sides are productive in collaboration in various areas and coordination in multilateral organizations.

The two nations' reinforced unity and coordination in international affairs is significant to promoting the democratization of international relations as well as the balance and stability of the international landscape, he added.

Lavrov said Russia looks forward to resuming the exchanges with Beijing in various areas that were affected by the pandemic, strengthening coordination on the international stage and exchanging staunch support on issues concerning each other's core interests.

Russia is also ready to work with China to make the evolving international order more open, reasonable and just, which is also the historical duty of both nations, he added.

Also in Moscow, Wang co-chaired a meeting under the China-Russia Strategic Security Consultation mechanism on Tuesday. The Russian side was led by Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

The two sides discussed the current international strategic situation and agreed to promote democracy in international relations and a multipolar world, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by China's Foreign Ministry.

In addition, the two sides agreed that efforts should be made to resolutely champion peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

The two sides "reject introducing the Cold War mentality, bloc-based confrontation and ideological confrontation", the statement said.

Observers said the lasting coordination between China and Russia, as demonstrated by the meetings, will help to shore up unity, justice and stability in the world amid geopolitical conflicts driven by hegemony and unilateralism.

In an interview with Russia's TASS news agency last week, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said that exchanges between the two countries at all levels will reach new heights this year, and the two sides' all-around pragmatic cooperation will enter a new phase of major development.

"Beijing and Moscow will further deepen their strategic coordination and constantly advance their good neighborly friendship and cooperation this year," Zhang said.

During the meetings, China and Russia also exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict.

Wang Yi said Beijing endorses Russia's reaffirming of its willingness to settle the issue through dialogue and negotiation.

China "will, as always, uphold its objective and just position, and play its constructive role for the crisis' political settlement", Wang said.

He underscored that "efforts for peace should not wane while the situation's complexity grows", and all parties are expected to overcome difficulties, further create conditions for dialogue and negotiations and look for viable paths toward a political settlement.