Sanctioned by the West, Russia turns to China for support

China and Russia have pledged to protect each other’s interests and “jointly tackle challenges” in the face of geopolitical changes, according to a joint communique issued after meetings between their heads of government.

Beijing and Moscow asserted that their bilateral relations would not be affected by third-party interference and pledged to strengthen coordination in the multilateral framework after an annual meeting led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin concluded in Beijing on Wednesday.

In a joint communiqué, the parties declared that they would not allow themselves to be influenced by third parties, referring to the West.

The communiqué stated that Russia reaffirmed its support for “one China” and said it was “against any form of Taiwan independence”, while China declared that it supported Russia’s territorial integrity and rejected interference by external forces in Russia’s internal affairs.

The communiqué said China and Russia would continue to face challenges together and “strongly support each other in safeguarding their core interests”.

Mishustin was on a two-day visit to China to finalize economic agreements with the country, as Russia has been internationally isolated since its brutal invasion of Ukraine, where war has been ongoing for nearly two years.

He also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, who said he would push ahead with political and economic ties with Moscow.

None of the official Chinese or Russian statements following the meetings with Xi and Li mentioned the war in Ukraine. However, in the joint communiqué, both countries stated that they opposed sanctions against Russia as punishment for the atrocities committed in Ukraine.

However, they acknowledged that the sanctions had harmed Russia and had a significant negative impact on the economy and finances.

Mishustin’s visit took place after the European Union imposed a new round of sanctions against Moscow. Chinese companies have repeatedly been accused of circumventing the sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia.

In the joint communique, the countries agreed to “closely coordinate” within multilateral frameworks, including the BRICS countries, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Group of 20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum and the Asia Summit Eastern.

They also jointly accepted Iran’s admission as a full member of the SCO this year.

Iran was also among six new members to join the BRICS bloc, which is increasingly seen as a platform for China and Russia to to rival the G7.

Beijing and Moscow also agreed to expand people-to-people exchanges, including in the fields of science, healthcare and sport. They will also examine mechanisms to enable long-term visas for multiple entries.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko pointed out in Beijing on Monday that China is Russia’s largest source of tourists.

/The Geopost