Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov for talks in Beijing

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is visiting China, an important trading partner, for two days. According to his ministry, an “intensive exchange on pressing issues” is planned - including on the subject of Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in China on a two-day official visit. As his ministry announced, he landed in the capital Beijing. Lavrov will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi there for an "intensive exchange on pressing issues."

The “Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region” were mentioned. The talks will also focus on “bilateral cooperation and cooperation on the international stage”, including in organizations such as the UN, BRICS and G20.

Lavrov and Wang last met in Beijing in October and before that in Moscow in September.

Russia and China had deepened their relations since the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022. Beijing is now one of Moscow's most important trading partners. In October 2023, Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a forum in Beijing on the New Silk Road, a major infrastructure and trade project of the Chinese government.

China does not describe the Russian attack on Ukraine as an invasion and describes its own position in the conflict as neutral. The government in Beijing proposed a peace plan that the Ukrainian leadership rejected because it was too close to the Russian position. In March, Ukrainian leaders and officials met again with Chinese special envoy Li Hui in Kiev to seek support for a solution to Russia's war of aggression.

China is neither the cause nor a participant in the Ukraine conflict, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. The country has done nothing and will continue to do nothing “to profit from it.” Beijing will "continue to support peace talks in its own way and maintain communication with relevant parties, including Russia and Ukraine," she added.