In light of the fundamental changes taking place in global geopolitics, China and Russia have realized the importance of mutual support, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Beijing Andrei Denisov.

“In the context of a deep restructuring and evolution of international relations, China and Russia ... have become even more aware of the importance of strengthening cooperation and mutual support for each other - two major powers working shoulder to shoulder,” the head of Chinese diplomacy said.

According to him, both countries appreciated the significance of the achievements of their friendship and mutually beneficial relations, and also became more aware of the valuable experience of refusing to join blocs and aiming joint actions against third countries.

"High level of mutual trust"

Wang Yi made such a statement against the backdrop of the Vostok-2022 strategic command and staff exercises taking place in Russia, in which the Chinese military is also involved.

Earlier, the Global Times newspaper reported that Beijing sent more than 2,000 troops, over 300 pieces of military equipment, as well as 21 military aircraft and a helicopter to these maneuvers.

According to the publication, the exercises include Type 99 third-generation battle tanks, Type 04 infantry fighting vehicles, Harbin Z-19 attack helicopters, J-10 fighter jets, and the Type 055 destroyer.

  • Chinese military at the exercises "Vostok-2018"

  • AP

  • © Sergei Grits

After the start of the special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the countries of the collective West repeatedly demanded that China condemn Moscow and stop supporting it.

Similar theses were also voiced by the G7.

At the last summit of the group, which was held at the end of June in Germany, the leaders of the G7 states once again criticized the PRC, while urging Beijing to use its influence on the Russian Federation in order for Moscow to stop the special operation.

The Foreign Ministry of the Asian power rejected criticism, saying that the G7 does not have the authority to speak on behalf of the entire world community.

“The G7 countries account for only 10% of the world population.

They have no right to represent the whole world or to believe that their values ​​and standards apply to the whole world,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.

Despite external pressure, Russia and China continue to strengthen strategic cooperation in all areas.

So, in June, during a telephone conversation, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that by the end of 2022, the volume of trade and economic cooperation should reach record levels.

“It was agreed to expand cooperation in energy, financial, industrial, transport and other areas, taking into account the situation in the global economy that has become more complicated due to the illegitimate sanctions policy of the West.

The issues of further development of military and military-technical ties were also touched upon," the Kremlin's press service reported.

While China refuses to comply with Western ultimatums, Moscow has supported the country's territorial integrity during the recent spiral of the Taiwan status crisis.

This problem escalated once again in late July - early August, after the island, despite the objections of the PRC, was visited by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi.

In the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry, such a move by Washington was regarded as "an obvious provocation in the spirit of the US aggressive line on the comprehensive containment of China."

In turn, the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, noted that this demarche demonstrates the desire of the United States to prove its "impunity and permissiveness."

Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui, for his part, thanked Moscow for its support.

“At this key moment, our Russian friends boldly came out in defense of justice, showing themselves as a true big state that is ready to defend honesty and justice and is not afraid (of those who apply. -

RT

) the policy of force.

This shows the high level of strategic mutual trust between our countries, as well as the special nature of Chinese-Russian relations,” the diplomat said.

The right decision

Speaking about the essence of bilateral relations between Moscow and Beijing, political scientists remind that these states build relations on the basis of mutual understanding and do not create aggressive blocs.

“Russia and China see that they face common geopolitical and economic challenges and are united by common values.

This is state stability, respect for one's culture, history and traditions.

Thus, the interaction between Russia and China is not just some kind of tactical alliance aimed against third parties, but a coincidence of points of view and a new type of international relations in which no country is a monopolist in any issues, ”explained in the comment RT Director of the Institute of Asian and African Countries of Moscow State University Alexei Maslov.

  • Foreign Ministers of Russia and China Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi

  • AP

  • © Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service

From his point of view, the current geopolitical alignment has justified the deepening of cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

“Certainly, the current situation has confirmed that the course towards rapprochement between Russia and China was correct.

It led to increased interaction between the two countries, but one must understand that rapprochement went on without it.

It began to develop actively 30 years ago.

At the same time, the potential of relations has not yet been exhausted, and the interaction will be even more intense, ”the political scientist predicts.

He also added that the Russian Federation and China have reached a special level of mutual understanding, which is not measured by specific indicators and which other countries cannot boast of.

“An example is the relationship between the United States and China, the trade turnover between which is much higher than between China and Russia, but at the same time, American-Chinese relations are complicated by huge political contradictions,” Maslov recalled.

In turn, Evgeny Grachikov, Associate Professor of the Department of Theory and History of International Relations at RUDN University, in a conversation with RT, noted that China fully supports Russia's concerns about NATO's eastward expansion.

“In Beijing, given the current events, this process is taken literally.

So the East is China.

This interpretation is facilitated by the fact that for the first time after the Second World War and the collapse of the USSR, ships of the FRG appeared in the South China Sea, and the presence of US ships in this area has already become a certain norm.

That is, another NATO country suddenly begins to show activity that threatens the security interests of China, ”the analyst emphasized.

He also recalled that the PRC supports Russia's position on issues of disarmament, military activity, and the inadmissibility of the creation and use of bacteriological and other similar weapons.

“A military-political, strategic, geopolitical alliance has already been formed between China and Russia.

We coordinate positions in international organizations even more closely and support each other.

Therefore, China watched how Russia would react at the time of the aggravation of the situation around Taiwan.

All this is interconnected, since these provocations come from the United States.

Washington is fighting on two fronts - not only an ideological, but also a proxy war against China and Russia, ”the expert concluded.