The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has met with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the BRICS Foreign Minister’s meetings in Rio de Janeiro. This is what they had to say:
Sergey Lavrov’s Statement
“Dear friend, we meet regularly and frequently, which allows us to remain in good shape. You said that we are likely to live for a long time in an era of change. As far as I know, there is an old Chinese proverb that says, “God forbid you should live in an era of change.” But that saying dates back a long time. Today, China is one of the main drivers of global change, and perhaps such change is indeed necessary.
As you mentioned, there is an ongoing struggle between those trying to preserve a unipolar system, rooted in colonial and neocolonial practices long used by the West to conduct world affairs, and those who are working to build a just, multipolar world order. This new order must be based, as stated in the UN Charter, on the principle of sovereign equality among all states.
Together with China, our BRICS and SCO partners, and other allies, we are active participants in this transformation and stand at the forefront of the movement for justice and equality. This imposes a special responsibility on us, especially in fulfilling the objectives set by the leaders of our countries.
We look forward to the official visit of President Xi Jinping to Russia to take part in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, (May 9th, Moscow) for which we are actively preparing.”
Wang Yi’s Statement
Wang stated that “The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is advancing to a higher level and broader dimensions. The two sides have maintained steady progress in mutually beneficial cooperation and engaged in close and effective strategic coordination, playing a crucial role in safeguarding the common interests of both countries and their peoples and advancing the multipolarity in the world. China is ready to work with Russia to fully implement the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state and further advance China-Russia relations in the new year.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations (U.N.), which is of great historic significance. During that arduous struggle, the peoples of China and Russia fought valiantly on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, enduring tremendous national sacrifices and making significant historical contributions in the effort to save their nations from the brink of destruction and strive for world peace. China and Russia, as major victorious nations of World War II and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, jointly bear the crucial responsibility of safeguarding the victorious results of World War II and maintaining the post-war international order. No matter how the situation evolves, the foundation of China-Russia friendship remains unshakable, and both nations are duty-bound to uphold their international moral obligations as major countries. Both sides should take the opportunity of jointly commemorating the 80th anniversary to deepen China-Russia strategic coordination, actively promote the correct view on World War II, firmly defend the international system with the United Nations at its core, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Global South countries, and promote the building of an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.”
Q1 2025 Russia-China Trade Trends
Meanwhile, Russia’s Deputy Economic Development Minister Vladimir Ilyichev, has been speaking about Russia-China bilateral trade at the Foreign Trade: Growth Points in the Era of Economic Transformation conference in Moscow. He stated that global trade wars and increased tariffs have not yet affected Russia’s foreign economic activity, including no substantial changes observed in trade with China, saying that “So far, there has been no impact. This situation will likely have some delayed effects. The impact has been mitigated partly because the U.S. has suspended higher tariffs against several countries, though this doesn’t apply to China. Nevertheless, we’re not yet observing significant changes in trade flows, even in trade with China.
“Certain trends exist: our trade with China has slowed considerably in volume due to factors we’ve previously noted – the recycling fee and the backlog of commercial and passenger vehicles accumulated last year. Accordingly, we’re seeing some slowdown in deliveries of these goods to our territory, but so far, we don’t see any substantial changes in trade with China, neither in exports nor imports. There are some changes in the January-March results, but they fall within expected seasonal fluctuations.”
Trade between China and Russia in Q1 2025 fell 6.6% compared to the same period in 2024, totalling US$53.212 billion, according to Chinese customs statistics.
Further Reading
United States, Russia, & China To Lead New World Order
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