China will strengthen and deepen relations with Russia

China will 'strengthen and deepen' its ties with Russia in the coming months, now that relations with the US have soured. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said this at a press conference held in Beijing on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Chinese Parliament. Wang Yi's tone is sharp and does not bode well for Sino-US relations.

Wang Yi says the US is trying to 'contain' China. He called the sanctions on Chinese companies “mind-boggling” and “incomprehensible”. In his speech, Wang Yi stressed the importance of a multilateral world order and said Beijing opposes “unilateralism and protectionism”.

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Closer Sino-Russian relations

Wang praised the “strategic leadership” of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for strengthening the relationship. He noted that bilateral trade rose to $240 billion (220.3 billion euros) last year, as Russian natural gas powered Chinese homes and Chinese cars drove on Russian roads.

Indeed, Russian oil and gas exports to neighboring China (and India) have increased sharply since Western sanctions took effect. Conversely, Russia is an interesting sales market for Chinese cars among others. For example, China sold more than 841,000 vehicles to Russia last year, making Russia one of the most important export markets for Chinese car manufacturers. Compared to 2022, total Chinese exports to Russia increased by 54 percent.

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New opportunities

“New opportunities” await, Wang Yi added, portraying ties between the two countries as a “new paradigm” in great power relations. China and Russia moving closer together is a logical consequence of deteriorating relations between China and the United States. China has repeatedly frustrated Washington over its position as an economic and military world power, which, for example, decides which chips the country can or cannot import.

Other sore points in Sino-US relations: the South China Sea, which is claimed by Beijing, including Taiwan, which China seeks to reunify but is protected by the US. And America's rising protectionism — deadly for a country that owes its prosperity to exports.

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Unruly blowpipe

Finally, China is positioning itself as a mouthpiece for non-aligned nations such as the BRICS and the Global South, which are now done with Western global hegemony. China “is, was and will be” among those countries, Wang said. This was evident in a speech by Wang Yi, in which he accused the United States of reneging on its promises and said Washington was “obsessed” with containing China. According to Wang Yi, it's about mutual respect. “It is unacceptable that some countries are at the table while others are on the menu,” he said. “The Global South is no longer a peaceful majority, but a force for reforming the international order,” Wang said.

China peacekeeping force

Notably, Wang said China sees itself as a “peace-keeping power” in the world. “In the face of complex turbulence in the international environment, China will continue to play its role as a peacekeeping force, a force of stability and a force for progress in the world,” Wang said. When asked about China's position on the war on Ukraine, Wang insisted that Beijing maintains an “objective and impartial position” on Ukraine.

He again called for peace talks, noting that Li Hui, the peace envoy, was currently in the region. 'A conflict that drags on will get worse. The Cold War must not return.'

Then, Wang immediately alerted US President Joe Biden. Wang noted that Biden had promised not to support Taiwan's independence, saying he would be “burned for playing with fire.”

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Wang, a keeper

Note: As a rule, the National People's Congress is the forum where new government appointments are announced. Observers had expected a new foreign minister to be unveiled, as Wang was seen as a temporary stopgap after his predecessor Qin Gang mysteriously fell from grace and was removed last year.

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However, the agenda for this year's meetings made no mention of staff changes. In addition to being foreign minister, Wang is also director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Communist Party of China, a position with more authority than foreign minister.