China and Russia have demonstrated “strong resilience and strategic determination” in their relationship amid a volatile global landscape, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, according to CNBC’s translation of the Chinese foreign ministry statement.
Wang met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Friday.
In relation to Russia-Ukraine, Beijing will continue to uphold an “objective and fair” stance, and support all efforts toward a peaceful resolution to the crisis, Wang said, according to the ministry.
Beijing has so far refused to call Russia’s attack on Ukraine an invasion. After a high-profile meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and and Russian President Vladimir Putin in February, a readout said there were “no limits” or “forbidden areas” of cooperation, without mentioning Ukraine.
Wang also said Beijing was willing to work with all states including Russia to execute plans from the recent virtual BRICS summit, according to the statement.
China hosted the 14th BRICS summit late last month, attended by the five member states Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The group sees itself as a voice for developing countries.
Lavrov reinforced that Russia and China would uphold their commitment to act responsibly and look toward safeguarding the UN Charter.
Russia-China relations should not be subject to “external interference” as both countries pursue further cooperation, Lavrov said, according to the Chinese ministry statement.
Lavrov said Moscow is looking toward expanding further bilateral cooperation with China.
According to the statement, Wang said many developing countries are looking to resist hegemony and unilateralism. He said he was concerned that multilateralism was lost and that some countries were looking to uphold their own standards as opposed to those that promote international order as set through the United Nations.
Meanwhile, Wang said China will also continue to pursue Xi’s vision for global security and will work with all parties to ensure that is on track.
