Chinese President Xi Jinping has described the stability and certainty of China-Russia relations as particularly 'precious' in the face of an international landscape marked by change and chaos. He made the remarks during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing on Wednesday.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, Xi emphasised the strong vitality and exemplary significance of the friendship treaty between the two countries under the current backdrop. He called for closer and stronger strategic collaboration between Beijing and Moscow to defend their legitimate interests and safeguard the unity of Global South nations.
Xi urged both countries to showcase the responsibility and commitment of major powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council. 'Firmly uphold and practice multilateralism, work together to revitalise the authority and vitality of the United Nations,' he was quoted as saying, adding that they should promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.
While Xi touted the value of bilateral ties, he did not specify what he referred to as chaos and changes in the international context. His comments came amid lingering uncertainty over the duration of the Iran war, though US President Donald Trump has claimed it is 'close to over'.
Relations between China and Russia have deepened in recent years, particularly following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Lavrov, who arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day visit at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, said Russian-Chinese relations demonstrated high resilience in a complex external environment, citing good momentum in trade and investment cooperation and close coordination at the UN and other multilateral platforms.
