Beijing diplomacy said ahead of this week’s meeting between the leaders of the two countries that China wants to build an international order with Russia “in a more just and rational direction”.

With strained relations during the Cold War, China and Russia have grown closer in recent years to act as a counterweight to US global dominance.

“Under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President (Vladimir) Putin, relations between the two countries are always moving in the right direction,” Communist Party International Relations Secretary Yang Jiechi told Russian Ambassador to Beijing Andrei. Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“China wishes to work with Russia to continuously implement the spirit of high-level strategic cooperation between the two countries, to protect the common interests of both sides, and to promote the development of an international order in a more just and rational direction,” Yang said. “.

In a statement on Monday’s meeting, Denisov celebrated the “productive results” of bilateral relations.

Russia is trying to strengthen its ties with Asian countries, especially China, after unprecedented sanctions from Western countries due to the war in Ukraine.

Beijing did not condemn the invasion and criticized the Western sanctions against Moscow, as well as the arms sale to Kiev.

Putin and Xi will meet during a regional summit next week.

Last week, Chinese Legislature Speaker Li Zhanshu, who ranks third in the country’s power hierarchy, traveled to Russia and declared that trust and cooperation between the countries are at “unprecedented levels”.