BEIJING — Chinese language Protection Minister Li Shangfu is visiting Russia and Belarus in a present of assist for these nations which the West has sought to isolate over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Li departed Monday on the six-day journey, throughout which he’ll ship an handle on the Moscow Convention on Worldwide Safety and meet with protection leaders from Russia and different nations, the Protection Ministry stated on its social media account, citing spokesperson Col. Wu Qian.
Russian International Ministry Sergey Lavrov is because of converse on the convention on the subject of the “Majority World international locations’ seek for methods to growth outdoors Western mechanisms, together with strengthening multilateral associations of a brand new kind,” Russia’s official TASS information company reported.
It stated representatives from about 100 international locations and eight worldwide organizations had been invited to attend.
The would “focus on varied elements of safety within the circumstances of the institution of a multipolar world order, methods to revive constructive worldwide cooperation within the context of aggressive claims by Euro-Atlantic elites for world domination,” it stated, quoting the Russian International Ministry spokesperson as saying.
Li’s attendance underscores the drive by China and Russia to align their overseas insurance policies in a bid to undermine the Western-led liberal-democratic world order, regardless of their financial and reputational prices.
That will probably be adopted by a go to to shut Russian ally Belarus, whose territory was partly used to stage final 12 months’s invasion. Whereas there, he’ll maintain conferences and talks with Belarussian state and army leaders and go to army amenities, the ministry stated.
China claims to be impartial within the battle, however has accused the U.S. and its allies of scary Russia and has maintained strong financial, diplomatic and commerce ties with Moscow.
China has reliably backed Russia in opposing U.S. condemnation of the Ukraine invasion in worldwide boards, however says it gained’t present arms to both facet within the battle.
Li, who’s barred from visiting the U.S. over arms gross sales he oversaw with Russia, visited Russia simply final month to reaffirm army relations within the first formal army talks between the pleasant neighbors since a short-lived mutiny by Russian mercenary group Wagner.
Final month additionally noticed a pair of Russian navy ships go to China and maintain a sequence of joint drills.
In distinction to his shut ties with Russia, Li has shunned all contact together with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin, turning down a gathering with him at a latest discussion board in Singapore and refusing to take his telephone name following the latest capturing down of a suspected Chinese language spy balloon that has crossed the continental U.S.
That is believed to be an end result of the U.S. sanctions in opposition to him, the balloon incident, U.S. assist for self-governing Taiwan that China claims as its personal territory, disputes over China’s aggressive actions within the South China Sea and an ongoing row over over commerce and expertise.