China’s No. 2 official travels to Russia to ‘deepen’ ties as Ukraine war grinds on

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is set to meet with Russian leaders in Moscow Wednesday during a four-day trip to Russia and its ally Belarus as Beijing shrugs off Western criticism of its robust Kremlin ties amid the war in Ukraine.

Li, China’s No. 2 official under leader Xi Jinping, will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hold talks on China-Russia cooperation and strategic ties with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Russian state-run news agency Tass reported Wednesday.

Li hailed the two countries’ relations after his arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport Tuesday, where he was greeted by Russian officials and an honor guard.

“China-Russia relations in the new era have shown new vigor and vitality, with stronger mutual political trust, fruitful cooperation in various fields, deeply rooted friendship, and close and effective international coordination,” Li said in a statement released upon his arrival, adding the visit was aimed at “deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.”

The premier’s visit – for a longstanding annual meeting with the Russian prime minister – is the first to Russia by a high-level Chinese official since a surprise military incursion by Ukrainian forces into the Russian border region of Kursk two weeks ago.

Russia has been scrambling to repel that assault, which marks the first time foreign troops entered Russian territory since World War II and comes amid mounting pressure for a conclusion to the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022 with Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Last week, in response to a media inquiry on the situation, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry called on “all parties” not to expand the battlefield, escalate fighting and “fuel the flame,” saying China would continue to work for a “political settlement of the crisis.”

Beijing has faced mounting scrutiny and pressure from the West to curtail the export of dual-use goods such as aerospace, manufacturing and technology equipment to Russia, which Western leaders and Kyiv have alleged are propping up the Russian war effort.

Chinese officials have sought to present the country as a neutral, aspiring peace broker in the war, but have had limited high-level contact with Kyiv while continuing to deepen relations with Moscow across trade, diplomacy and security.

China last month hosted a top Ukrainian official for the first time since Russia’s invasion of the country nearly two and half years ago.

Wednesday’s meeting between Li and Mishustin is part of annual talks held since 1996, which are seen as a means to implement practical cooperation in the direction set by Xi and Putin. The two officials are expected to discuss the countries’ “comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction,” including in trade and economy, according to Tass.

Trade between China and Russia hit record highs last year, surpassing a target of $240 billion ahead of schedule. Russia has grown hugely reliant on China’s market, goods and investment since it was slapped with broad international sanctions following its Ukraine invasion.

Bilateral trade increased by more than a quarter year-on-year in 2023 from 2022, but has only grown about 1.6% between January and July this year over the same period last year, according to China’s customs data.

Li is expected to end his four-day trip in Belarus, where he will meet Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko for an “in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields,” China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.