BEIJING (AP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed his country’s support for Russia on sovereignty and security issues in a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, state media said.
Xi told Putin that “all parties should push responsibly for a proper solution to the Ukraine crisis,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The Kremlin said in its call-up report that Putin “described his fundamental assessments of the situation in Ukraine.” Xi “noted the legitimacy of Russia’s actions to protect fundamental national interests in the face of security challenges posed by external forces,” according to the official Moscow reading.
China has refused to criticize or even refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, accusing NATO and the West of inciting Moscow to attack.
Weeks before the Russian attack, Putin and Xi met in Beijing in February and oversaw the signing of an agreement that promised relations between the parties “would have no limits.” It is unclear whether Xi knew at the time of Russia’s plan to invade Ukraine.
At that meeting, the two leaders pushed back US pressure, declaring their opposition to any NATO expansion and saying the island of Taiwan was part of China, as they met hours before the meeting. start of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Xi told Putin on Wednesday that China “is ready to work with the Russian side to promote the steady and long-term development of bilateral pragmatic cooperation,” Xinhua said. support each other on issues related to fundamental interests and major concerns such as sovereignty and security. ”
While offering tacit support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China has tried to appear neutral and avoid possible repercussions of support for the Russian economy amid international sanctions.
Moscow and Beijing have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to oppose liberal democratic forces in Asia, Europe and beyond, taking a stand for an authoritarian government with narrow borders and little respect for freedom of expression. minority rights or opposition policy.
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