China is looking to deepen relations with Russia despite Moscow’s war in Ukraine
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Beijing is looking to deepen its ties with Moscow despite Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted on Sunday.
Wang, who spoke via videoconference at a conference in the Chinese capital, defended his country’s stance on the war in Ukraine and noted that China will deepen relations with Russia in the next year.
He also blamed America for the deterioration of relations between the two largest economies in the world, saying that China “firmly rejects the wrong policy of the United States towards China.”
China backed away from Western pressure on trade, technology and human rights and its claims to large areas of the western Pacific Ocean, accusing the United States of bullying.
Its refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine and to join others in imposing sanctions on Russia has further strained relations and fueled the emerging divide with much of Europe.
Wang said China will “deepen strategic mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation” with Russia. Warships from the two countries conducted joint naval exercises in the East China Sea last week.
“Regarding the Ukraine crisis, we have consistently adhered to the basic principles of objectivity and impartiality, without favoring one side or the other, or adding fuel to the fire, nor seeking selfish gains from the situation,” Wang said. An official transcript of his notes.
Although China has found common ground with Russia as both are under Western pressure, its economic future remains tied to American and European markets and technology.
Leader Xi Jinping is pushing Chinese industry to become more self-sufficient, but Wang conceded that experience has shown “that China and the United States cannot separate or cut supply chains.”
He said China will strive to get relations with the United States back on track, saying it has regressed because “the United States has stubbornly continued to regard China as its primary competitor and engages in blatant blockade, suppression and provocation against China.”
Wang and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone late last week. The State Department said Blinken discussed the need to responsibly manage US-China relations and raised concerns about Russia’s war against Ukraine and the threats it poses to global economic stability and security.
A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Wang accused the United States of “unilateral bullying”, and said that China will continue to play a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine crisis in its own way.