Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the most senior Russian official to visit Beijing since Moscow sent thousands of its troops to Ukraine in February 2022, spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
As the war in Ukraine enters its second year and Russia increasingly feels the brunt of Western sanctions, Moscow depends more on Beijing’s support than China on Russia’s. Moscow earns money from Chinese demand for oil and gas.
There was no sign of easing Western pressure. Announcements released at the G7 summit earlier this week singled out both countries for mentioning a range of issues, including the war in Ukraine. The Group of Seven agreed to toughen sanctions on Moscow and urged China to pressure Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
“Today, relations between Russia and China have reached an unprecedented level,” Mishustin told his Chinese counterpart when they met.
“(Both countries) are characterized by mutual respect for each other’s interests and willingness to jointly respond to the challenges of growing international unrest and the pressure of illegal sanctions imposed by the West,” he said. he adds.
“As our Chinese friends say, unity moves mountains,” he added.
The memorandums of understanding signed by the two countries included an agreement to strengthen investment cooperation in trade services, an agreement on the export of agricultural products to China and another agreement on sports cooperation.
The Interfax news agency reported that Russian energy shipments to China are expected to increase by 40% this year. She added that the two countries were discussing the export of technological equipment to Russia.
The Chinese president visited Russia in March and spoke with his ‘dear friend’ Russian President Vladimir Putin after the two countries reached a ‘borderless’ partnership agreement ahead of Russia’s war on China. Ukraine last year, which Moscow describes as a “special military operation”. aimed at “cleansing Ukraine of sectarianism”. Nazism”.
Beijing has rejected Western attempts to tie its partnership with Moscow to Ukraine, insisting that the relationship between the two countries does not violate international standards and that China has the right to cooperate with any country in his choice. He stressed that the cooperation between them does not target any third country.
Xi told the Russian prime minister that China and Russia should find ways to “improve the level of economic, trade and investment cooperation” with the possibility of further energy cooperation.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
