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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised Beijing's relationship with Moscow as "strategically valuable" during a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Sunday, as the two nations navigate ongoing tensions with the West over the Ukraine conflict.
The high-level diplomatic encounter came as Lavrov concluded a trip to North Korea, where he secured assurances of support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine from Pyongyang officials.
Russia was heavily criticized due to its silence during Israel's massive air campaign last month in Iran's capital, Tehran. Iran and Russia had signed a strategic partnership deal in January 2025.
Russia's inaction over Israel's offensive led to comments where Russia was seen as being an unreliable partner in critical moments.
Wang characterized the China-Russia partnership as "the most stable, most mature and most strategically valuable relationship between major powers in the world today," according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement following their Beijing meeting.
The Chinese foreign minister outlined priorities for deepening bilateral cooperation, stating the nations should "promote each side's development and revitalization and jointly respond to the challenges brought by a turbulent and changing world."
The ministers addressed multiple global flashpoints during their discussions, with both sides "exchanging views on the Korean peninsula, the Ukraine crisis, the Iranian nuclear issue, and other matters," the Chinese statement revealed.
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Russia's foreign ministry indicated the talks covered additional "burning issues," including the ongoing war in Gaza, and confirmed that U.S.-China relations were also on the agenda, though Beijing's readout omitted mention of Washington.
China maintains it holds a neutral position in the Ukraine conflict despite its diplomatic and economic alliance with Russia.
However, Beijing has never denounced Russia's 2022 invasion nor called for troop withdrawal, leading Ukraine's allies to believe China has provided support for Moscow.
Beijing regularly calls for an end to the fighting while accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.
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