Русский
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, is meeting with Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister (and State Councillor) on Monday and Tuesday (April 8 & 9) in Beijing to discuss bilateral cooperation and plans for Vladimir Putin’s meetings with Xi Jinping next month.
Talks between Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who extended the invitation to the Russian minister, will consist of bilateral cooperation as well as “hot topics”, such as the situation in Ukraine and the Asia-Pacific, the Russian foreign ministry said.
Russian diplomats said that the foreign ministers will also discuss bilateral cooperation, including “interaction in the international arena with a focus on joint work in the UN, BRICS, the SCO, the G20, APEC and other multilateral mechanisms and forums.”
Lavrov previously visited Beijing in October 2023. The sides discussed in detail cooperation in Eurasia and the prospects of Russia’s BRICS chairmanship.
Russia-China bilateral trade reached US$240 billion in 2023 and is growing at over 7% more in 2024.
The China-Russia talks come just days after the US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen visited Beijing and threatened sanctions on any Chinese companies that supplied products to the Russian military. Yellen’s latest warning came as US officials told Bloomberg that Chinese firms were supplying microelectronics and machine tools for the production of tanks, and optics and propellants for use in missiles.
Both Moscow and Beijing have repeatedly denied American claims that the Russian military has bought ammunition and ‘dual use’ technology (with both military and civilian applications) from China. Lavrov and Wang will no doubt be discussing the implications of Yellen’s remarks.
Further Reading
China’s 2M 2024 Foreign Trade Grows Faster Than Expected On Bilateral Trade With Russia
