Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has promised to deepen relations with Russia as Beijing continues to emphasize the importance of what it calls a "multipolar" world order, UNN reports, citing the Chinese Foreign Ministry's press service and The Guardian.
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Speaking on Thursday, Wang said that the relationship between China and the United States is "critical," and that it is the relationship with Russia that will deepen and strengthen in the coming months.
Maintaining and developing relations between China and Russia is a strategic choice of both sides based on the fundamental interests of the two peoples. China and Russia have developed a new paradigm of relations between major countries, which is completely different from the outdated approach of the Cold War - non-alignment, non-confrontation and lack of third-party orientation
Wang praised the "strategic leadership" of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for strengthening relations to the point where bilateral trade reached a record $240 billion last year. Wang noted that Russian gas powers Chinese households and Chinese cars drive on Russian roads.
At his annual press conference, Wang addressed the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as China's relations with Europe. Throughout, he emphasized the "trend" toward a multipolar world, which, according to Beijing, is no longer dominated by Washington's hegemony.
This, it is noted, was an important part of the "boundless" friendship that China and Russia proclaimed in February 2022, shortly before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Beijing supported Moscow diplomatically and economically after the invasion, to the disappointment of Western leaders. "China-Russia relations are developing along the trend of multipolarity," Wang said on Thursday.
As part of this emphasis on multipolarity, China's foreign policy is said to increasingly focus on the importance of the Global South. Wang said that China is, has been, and will continue to be an important member of this group of countries.
"The global South is no longer a silent majority, but a force for reforming the international order," the Chinese Foreign Minister said.
China's foreign minister accused the United States of imposing sanctions on Chinese companies at an "astounding" and "unfathomable" level, citing Beijing's opposition to "unilateralism and protectionism" - complaints that have recently become buzzwords in official Chinese statements, The Guardian reports.
Wang also accused the United States of not fulfilling its promises and said it was "obsessed" with suppressing China.
Wang emphasized the importance of mutual respect. "It is unacceptable for some countries to be at the table and others to be on the menu," he said.