[ad_1]
(CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Sang Fu met in Moscow on Sunday and welcomed close military cooperation between the two countries.
The conference kicked off Lee’s four-day visit to Russia. Western powers are increasing pressure on Beijing to force Putin to end the war with Ukraine.
A general and veteran of China’s military modernization push, Li was sanctioned by the United States over a deal with Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport in 2018 when he headed the Chinese military’s equipment development department.
Those deals included Russia’s delivery of 2017 Su-35 fighter jets and 2018 S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment to China, according to the U.S. State Department.
Li’s visit follows a state visit to Russia by Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month, in which Xi and Putin further cemented ties between the two countries and “deepened military mutual trust.” , pledged to strengthen military exchanges and cooperation.
In a meeting with Li on Sunday, Putin called Xi’s recent visit to Russia “very productive” and said Russia-China relations are good in all areas, including the military, according to a Kremlin statement. said to be developing into
Putin said military cooperation between the two countries was “very credible and one of the most important areas of strengthening our strategic relationship.”
According to Chinese state media reports, Li told Putin that trust between the two countries’ militaries was “increasingly strengthened” and that cooperation was yielding “fruitful results”.
China is ready to work with Russia to “strengthen strategic communication between the two militaries, strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and make new contributions to safeguarding regional and global security and stability.” Stated.
Ukraine was not mentioned in the official announcement of the talks by either side.
in search of peace
China insisted on neutrality in the war in Ukraine and called for peace in the conflict. But it also refuses to condemn Russian aggression or publicly call on Russia to withdraw its troops. He reiterated that concerns must be taken into account and accused NATO and the United States of fomenting the conflict.
Nevertheless, European leaders hope that Xi Jinping can use his close ties with Putin to promote peace. I visited the capital of China.
At a joint press conference with Chinese diplomats in Beijing on Friday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Beerbock said Xi’s recent visit to Moscow meant that no country had more influence over Russia than China. said to show
“We want China to use its influence to urge Russia to end the war in Ukraine, just as China mediated between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” Middle East rivals stand on diplomatic relations to recover.
Her visit followed a joint visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with Ukraine high on the agenda.
But the joint statement by Macron and President Xi released by the Elysee failed to see the Chinese leader deviate from Beijing’s previous position on the war.
Meanwhile, the United States and its allies have repeatedly expressed concern that China is considering sending deadly aid to the Kremlin’s war effort, a claim Beijing has denied. Since the Russian invasion, the two countries have continued joint military exercises around the world.
Lee plans to remain in Moscow until Wednesday. He will meet with Russian military officials and visit the Russian military academy during his visit, a foreign ministry spokesperson said last week.
Li took the largely ceremonial post of defense minister last month at the annual meeting of China’s Rubber Stamp Legislative Council. He is also a member of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, which actually manages the military.
CNN’s Mariya Knight and Wayne Chang contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link
