Xi vows greater support for Russia in Lavrov meeting

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russia’s top diplomat on Tuesday that their countries should “strengthen mutual support”, state media said, as foreign ministers gathered in Beijing for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks.

Meeting Sergei Lavrov in Beijing, Xi said the two countries should “strengthen mutual support on multilateral forums”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Beijing and Moscow should work to “unite countries of the global South and promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction”, Xi said, according to Xinhua.

Russia’s foreign ministry said in an earlier statement that “a number of issues of bilateral political contacts at the highest and high levels were discussed”.

They included preparations for President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China to join a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and World War II anniversary celebrations.

Russia’s TASS news agency reported that Xi met Lavrov after the Chinese president held a “general meeting” with SCO foreign ministers.

Lavrov met Sunday with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss Ukraine and relations with the United States.

The Russian foreign minister arrived in China following a visit to North Korea, where he received assurances of support in its conflict with Ukraine.

Beijing, a diplomatic and economic ally of Moscow, claims to be neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

China has never denounced Russia’s more than three-year military campaign nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine’s allies believe that Beijing has provided support to Moscow.

China regularly calls for an end to the fighting, while accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.

Beijing has long sought to present the 10-member SCO as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs such as NATO.

It has pushed to strengthen collaboration between its member countries in politics, security, trade and science.

Top diplomats from the SCO are convening in Beijing this week for a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, including Lavrov, India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi.

Xi noted Tuesday that “political mutual trust among member states has deepened”, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The SCO “has successfully explored a path of regional cooperation that aligns with the trends of the times and meets the needs of all parties, setting a model for a new type of international relations,” Xi said.