Chinese Foreign Minister meets Russian and Pakistani counterparts to strengthen regional cooperation

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News March 31, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Amid China’s preparations to host a high-level summit between the Foreign Ministers from Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conducted ministerial-level meetings with his regional counterparts.

Two such bilateral meetings were conducted with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Wang Yi’s meeting with Sergei Lavrov comes at a time when western countries have been repeatedly pointing at China to ‘stop supporting Russia for its war efforts against Ukraine’.

The two ministers met on March 30 in Tunxi, Anhui province in Eastern China, to discuss the regional and global political developments. Lavrov briefed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang on the ongoing situation in Ukraine. He stated that Russia is willing to deescalate the situation in Ukraine by holding peace talks and keeping the communication channels open. Lavrov also said that Russia is committed to ensuring high-level strategic coordination with China for deepening mutual benefits in different fields. He stressed that Russia upholds the principles of opposing hegemony and power politics on a global scale.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang assured his Russian counterpart that the Chinese administration understands Russia’s position and the complexity of the Ukraine crisis. He stated that China would continue to support both Russia and Ukraine in order to bring a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict. He further added that the Ukraine crisis should be a lesson for the world to respect each other’s legitimate security concerns.

Apart from the ongoing situation in Europe, the two sides also exchanged views on several other multilateral affairs including the Asia-Pacific region, Korean Peninsula, Shanghai Cooperation Organization as well as upcoming BRICS meeting that would be hosted by China.

In another event on the same day and venue, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Pakistan’s top diplomat arrived in China a day earlier to participate in the third meeting of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries’ foreign ministers.

*^{Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Tunxi, China, on March 30, 2022. (Image Credit: Xinhua/Zhou Mu)}*

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the all-weather strategic cooperation and partnership between China and Pakistan despite a complicated and volatile international situation. Wang Yi assured his Pakistani counterpart that China is committed to supporting Pakistan in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity against all enemies.

During his meeting with Qureshi, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang emphasized that China and Pakistan “must not allow the Cold War mentality to resurface in Asia.” Wang further said that “We must not allow bloc confrontation to repeat in Asia. We must not allow small and medium-sized countries in the region to become tools or even victims of major-country rivalry.”

Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi thanked the Chinese foreign minister for attending the 48th Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which was hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad on March 22-23.

The two sides also exchanged views on the ongoing situation in Ukraine and agreed that pushing the world into another cold war would only result in further complications and devastation. The two ministers reaffirmed their support to play a constructive role in regional peace and stability.