China signals deepening ties with Russia in 2023
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi signaled that Beijing would deepen ties with Russia in the coming year while defending his country’s position on the war in Ukraine.
During a conference in Beijing, Mr Wang blamed the US for the deterioration in relations between the world’s two largest economies, saying that China has “firmly rejected the United States’s erroneous China policy”.
China has pushed back against Western pressure on trade, technology, human rights, and its claims to a broad swath of the western Pacific, he said, accusing the US of bullying.
China’s refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine and join others in imposing sanctions on Russia has further frayed ties and fueled an emerging divide with much of Europe.
Mr Wang said that China would "deepen strategic mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation" with Russia.
"With regard to the Ukraine crisis, we have consistently upheld the fundamental principles of objectivity and impartiality, without favouring one side or the other, or adding fuel to the fire, still less seeking selfish gains from the situation," he said, according to an official text of his remarks.
In September this year, Russian president Vladimir Putin hinted at frictions in Russia’s relations with China by publicly admitting Beijing has “questions and concerns” about Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.
Speaking at a high-level summit in Uzbekistan, Mr Putin surprisingly acknowledged potential disharmony with Xi Jinping in his first face-to-face meeting with the Chinese leader since Russia’s invasion in February.
Additional reporting by agencies
