Xi Jinping meets with the Russian Foreign Minister

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and said that he will continue to maintain close relations with Russia.

Voice of America reported on April 9 that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited China and warned that any Chinese banks and companies that support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine will face severe consequences. But one day after the visit ended, Chinese President Xi Jinping received Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing.

According to Chinese media reports, Xi asked Lavrov to convey his sincere regards to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Xi stressed that China supports the Russian people in following a development path that suits their national conditions, and that it supports Russia in combating terrorism and maintaining social security and stability.

Xi said that China always attaches great importance to developing relations with Russia, and is ready to enhance bilateral communication with Russia and multilateral strategic coordination within the framework of the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Lavrov said that the priority of Russian foreign policy is to comprehensively strengthen and improve relations with China, and that the smooth re-election of President Putin ensures the continuity of Russian-Chinese relations.

He added that Russia is ready to seriously implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen bilateral and multilateral coordination, and work with other countries of the Global South to enhance solidarity and cooperation in order to contribute to creating a more fair and just international system.