Lavrov blasts efforts to 'contain' Russia, China on Beijing visit / Photo: Handout - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY/AFP
Lavrov blasts efforts to 'contain' Russia, China on Beijing visit
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticised efforts he said were aimed at "containing" Russia and China on Tuesday during a visit to Beijing, where he also discussed with his Chinese counterpart plans for a meeting "within the year" between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
Lavrov was given a red-carpet welcome after he arrived in the Chinese capital, photographs released by the Russian foreign ministry showed.
He later met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who he was seen shaking hands with in a picture posted on social media by Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Beijing and Moscow are close economic and political partners, and the relationship has deepened further since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lavrov warned of "some very, very dangerous games going on" in East Asian geopolitical hotspots that included Taiwan, the disputed South China Sea and the nuclear-armed Korean peninsula, according to quotes from the meeting with Wang published by state-run RIA Novosti.
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and is sharply critical of US military assistance the self-ruled island receives.
In comments apparently referring to the United States and its allies, Lavrov said "they are trying to dismantle (regional cooperation) by creating small-format, bloc-based structures aimed at containing both the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation".
"Our vast continent as a whole demands constant attention," he said.
Wang and Lavrov "conducted in-depth exchanges on the US-Iran conflict, the Asia-Pacific situation, the Ukraine crisis" and other issues during their meeting, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement without providing details.
"The two sides coordinate and support one another on the international stage, demonstrating to the whole world that amid adversity, a righteous path remains, and that under changes, there lies greater responsibility," Wang said.
Lavrov and Wang also "communicated and synced up preparations for a meeting between the two heads of state within the year", according to the Chinese readout.
China is hosting this week a string of leaders of countries that have been affected by the US-Israeli war on Iran and its economic fallout, including Vietnam's To Lam and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Wang and Lavrov agreed during a call on April 5 that Beijing and Moscow would work together to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.
China's Premier Li Qiang told the United Arab Emirates leader that Beijing is "ready to further play a constructive role and contribute to the restoration of peace and tranquility in the Gulf region".
L.Kyritsis--AN-GR
