World

China Offers to Deepen Multilateral Ties With Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in January. Photo: Reuters

China is willing to deepen cooperation with Russia within multilateral frameworks, a foreign ministry official said.

The two countries could enhance cooperation through mechanisms such as the Group of 20 (G20) – a major intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said.

Ma made the statement in a conversation with the Russian ambassador to China, Andrey Denisov, the ministry said.

China is also willing to strengthen strategic coordination with Russia and expand practical cooperation in various fields, Ma told Denisov in a meeting on Tuesday.

The statement came as Moscow denied reports that Chinese leader Xi Jinping refused an invitation by President Vladimir Putin to visit Russia.

“This is completely not true,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to state news agency Tass. He said presidential visits would resume after China started gradually lifting anti-pandemic restrictions.

Japanese media reported earlier that Xi had refused Putin’s invitation due to the pandemic.

Reuters, with additional editing by George Russell

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George Russell

George Russell is a freelance writer and editor based in Hong Kong who has lived in Asia since 1996. His work has been published in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, New York Post, Variety, Forbes and the South China Morning Post.