Ukraine war: Russia, China look to develop closer ties in face of ‘illegal’ Western sanctions

China will search to strengthen ties with Russia because the U.S. and NATO allies name on Beijing to as a substitute apply higher stress and apply sanctions to Moscow amid the invasion of Ukraine. 

Chinese language Overseas Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met together with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Each ministers condemned the “unlawful” and “counter-productive” Western sanctions imposed in response to the invasion. 

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“Each side are extra decided to develop bilateral ties, and are extra assured in selling cooperation in varied fields,” Wang stated. “China is keen to work with Russia to take China-Russian ties to the next degree in a brand new period underneath the steerage of the consensus reached by the heads of state.” 

Lavrov up to date Wang on Russia’s progress of army operations in Ukraine and the present progress on negotiations with Kyiv, Reuters reported. Wang praised the connection as having “withstood the check of worldwide turbulence.” 

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Russia’s overseas ministry referred to NATO allies as “satellites” of the U.S.

The connection between China and Russia drew heavy scrutiny within the run-up to the invasion: Some consultants famous that China would doubtless act as a backdoor for Russia within the occasion of sanctions from the West, with Trump’s Underneath Secretary of Protection for Personnel and Readiness Robert L. Wilkie beforehand telling Fox Information Digital that China was “Russia’s banker.” 

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China moved to do exactly that with just a few contracts that locked in coal and wheat agreements with Russia previous to the invasion: The 2 international locations finalized a deal that will see China buy 100 million tons of Russian coal solely the day earlier than Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine. 

Russian information outlet TASS, which is owned by the federal government, reported on the deal, including that Russia’s share of coal within the Asia-Pacific market has elevated by 8% since 2010, with Russia now controlling round 12% of the market – one other signal of the more and more shut relationship. 

However former Russian overseas minister Andrei Kozyrev beforehand instructed Fox Information Digital that China will “by no means” see Putin as an “equal associate.” 

“China is sort of inciting him to go to quarrel with the West as a result of it’s of their curiosity,” Kozyrev argued. “If he loses the Western markets – even Japan and lots of different international locations joined the sanctions – he’ll crawl to China asking them to purchase a few of their mineral sources.”