Russian defence minister hails 'unprecedented' ties with China on Beijing visit
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said during a visit to China that the strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing has reached 'an unprecedentedly high level,' grounded in personal contacts between Presidents Putin and Xi. The visit comes ahead of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, which both
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said Moscow's strategic partnership with Beijing has reached 'an unprecedentedly high level' as he visited China for talks, his ministry said on Tuesday.
Belousov, during his China visit, said that 'the strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China has reached an unprecedentedly high level,' according to a statement by his ministry. He also said the partnership was 'grounded in the personal contacts' between Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping.
Russia has sought closer ties with China since its assault on Ukraine launched in 2022 that Beijing, insisting it is a neutral party, has never denounced, calling for peace talks instead. The Chinese and Russian militaries have held regular joint exercises in recent years, a partnership that Western and some other governments view with suspicion as Moscow's war on Ukraine grinds on.
In China, Belousov met with Zhang Shengmin, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the body headed by Xi that directs the armed forces.
The meeting comes before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on 18-19 November. Putin has said he intends to be at the summit, which US President Donald Trump has also said he will try to attend. The Kremlin said in September that Putin and Trump had discussed the idea of holding a trilateral meeting with Xi at the summit.