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01-02-2023
MOSCOW: Russia said on Monday that it wanted to take ties with China to a “new level” and was looking forward to face-to-face talks with Beijing’s leadership as a Russian newspaper reported that China’s top diplomat would visit Moscow in February.
“We are convinced that the potential for Russian-Chinese bilateral cooperation is still far from exhausted,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.
Russia aims to reach its target of $200 billion worth of trade between the two countries ahead of schedule and to “significantly deepen” its ties with Beijing, it said.
The deepening “no limits” partnership between the rising superpower of China and the natural resources titan of Russia is being watched by the West with some anxiety, though it is unclear just how deep the partnership is.
China has refrained from condemning Russia’s operation against Ukraine or calling it an “invasion” in line with the Kremlin which casts the war as “a special military operation”.
After the West imposed the most severe sanctions in modern history on Moscow due to the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin says Russia is turning towards Asia and China in particular after centuries of looking to the West as the crucible of economic growth, technology and war.
The Russian foreign ministry’s comments came shortly after Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper reported that China’s chief diplomat Wang Yi was set to visit Moscow in February.
According to the newspaper, Wang may visit Putin during his stay. The purpose of Wang’s visit is unclear but may be related to preparations for an upcoming visit to Russia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, it added.
When asked about the potential visit by Wang Yi, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a regular briefing that she was not yet aware of such a meeting.
Earlier, Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday in the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.
Ukraine’s military said it had destroyed four Russian tanks on a road near Kharkiv, killed 50 troops near a town in Luhansk region and downed six Russian warplanes in the east.
Russian missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities and Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders into the eastern Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions. Russian troops also landed by sea at the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.
US President Joe Biden said his prayers were with the people of Ukraine “as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack”. He and other Western leaders promised tough sanctions in response.
Meanwhile, EU chief Charles Michel on Thursday urged Belarus to “not take part” in Russia’s military assault on Ukraine, ahead of an emergency European Union summit to decide new sanctions on Moscow over its invasion.
In an appeal to Belarus and its people during a media conference at NATO headquarters, Michel said: “You have the choice not to follow Russia’s destructive action. You have the choice not to take part in this needless tragedy against your neighbors in Ukraine.”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday warned Russia of an uncompromising response to its attack on Ukraine, which he described as a turning point in European history.
“We will respond without weakness to this act of war, with calm, determination and unity,” Macron said in an address to the nation. (Int’l News Desk)
