Chinese and Russian foreign ministers meet in effort to boost scope of bilateral ties
Today, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will convene with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow. The meeting will focus on the development of Sino-Russian strategic partnerships and bilateral coordination on regional and global affairs.
Today’s talks follow remarks made by Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe during his visit to Moscow earlier this week, which highlighted for Washington the close ties between the two.
Cooperation has been fostered between the two countries as both have stood increasingly at odds with the US over their growing assertiveness in the international arena. Russia has backed China’s claims to the South China Sea, while Beijing has defended Moscow’s interests in Crimea and Syria.
Expect today’s meetings to reinforce Sino-Russian relations, which will likely be characterised by support for each other’s increasingly assertive foreign policies, especially in areas of mutual interest, like North Korea. In the long-term, look for greater cooperation between the two on issues of resource and energy extraction as well as heightened Chinese investment in Russian infrastructural development, particularly in the Far East.
