China, Russia ‘united on need for multipolar world’

Xi tells top diplomat Beijing will step up coordination via Brics and SCO

China and Russia have pledged to defend a multipolar world, jointly condemning Western-led “bloc confrontation” in talks in Beijing yesterday.

In a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, President Xi Jinping said China was willing to increase strategic coordination with Russia within multilateral frameworks to “promote reform” in the global system.

“China has always attached great importance to the development of Sino-Russian relations and is willing to work with Russia to intensify bilateral communication, strengthen multilateral strategic coordination in the Brics group and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, demonstrate greater responsibility, unite the ‘Global South’ countries … and promote reform of the global governance system,” state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying.

The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov, who is in China for two days, delivered greetings to Xi from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who “very much appreciated” Xi’s congratulatory message on his re-election last month.

Lavrov said Putin’s victory guaranteed continuity of RussiaChina relations and the “new development of cooperation in all areas”.

“Thanks to the diplomacy of the leaders, Russian-Chinese relations demonstrate stability as well as the ability to adapt to any – even the most difficult – conditions. The basis of Russian-Chinese relations is mutual support on issues affecting the fundamental interests of our states,” he said.

Earlier yesterday, Lavrov confirmed that Xi and Putin would meet this year on the sidelines of the SCO gathering in Kazakhstan and the Brics summit in Russia involving leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Putin reportedly plans to visit China in May as the two countries mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, but presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov yesterday said he could not confirm the timing of Putin’s visit.

Lavrov’s trip comes as Beijing and Moscow both step up ties with countries in the Global South, moves widely seen as attempted to counter the Western-led global order.

The United States, meanwhile, is also stepping up strategic coordination in the Asia-Pacific with an eye on Russia and China.

The leaders of Japan and the Philippines will be in Washington this week for a three-way summit.

In a press conference with Lavrov yesterday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the US and its allies not to “extend their hands” to the Asia-Pacific region.

“[We] oppose any small circles that engage in bloc confrontation. Nato should not extend their hands to our common home … in the Asia-Pacific. Any words or deeds that are divisive and confrontational have no market or future in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

Lavrov also hit out at the West over “illegal sanctions” and “military and political unions” against Russia and China, which he said were attempts to disrupt a multipolar world order. He reaffirmed that the two countries would stand “back-to-back, shoulder-to-shoulder” amid such attempts.

“Our leaders … have repeatedly emphasised the determination of Russia and China to counter attempts to slow down the formation of a multipolar world, the long-overdue processes of democratisation and

Sergey Lavrov and Xi Jinping meet in Beijing yesterday. justice that are ‘knocking on the door’ of the modern world order,” he said.

“The United States and its allies, in an effort to perpetuate their unjust position in the international system, are trying to stop them.”

Wang and Lavrov also said their countries would work together to defend multipolarity.

“Both China and Russia … oppose hegemonism and power politics, and oppose the monopoly of international affairs by a few countries,” Wang said.

“China and Russia will continue to … advocate inclusive economic globalisation, jointly oppose unilateralism, protectionism, fence-building and decoupling, and work together to maintain the stability of international industrial and industrial chains.”

Some Chinese companies have already been sanctioned by the European Union for allegedly circumventing the bloc’s sanctions on Russia, prompting strong opposition from Beijing.

Lavrov vowed to increase coordination with China within the Brics and SCO, including to solve sanctions-related issues.

Both countries will also launch talks on Eurasian security and continue cooperation on anti-terrorism, according to Lavrov.