Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talks with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi

Photo: MFA

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during talks with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi.

Moscow, April 1, 2025

“Mr Minister,

Dear friend,

Friends, colleagues,

We are pleased to welcome Mr Wang Yi to Moscow on an official visit, the objective of which is to prepare for the upcoming Russia-China summit in May.

Meetings between President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping consistently provide a powerful impetus for the further advancement of our relations, which, under the leadership of our two heads of state, have reached an unprecedented level and continue to develop dynamically across all dimensions.

This year holds particular significance. The Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, and the entire international community mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Second World War in Europe and the East, as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, in which our two nations play a leading role in upholding the fundamental principles of its Charter. Today, the task of constructing a reliable barrier against the resurgence of fascist, Nazi, and militarist ideologies – as well as all forces seeking to revive these unacceptable phenomena – remains critically urgent.

Russia and China are united not only by a historical brotherhood in arms and shared extensive borders but also by centuries-old traditions of good-neighbourliness and a broad alignment of national interests.

We noted with interest your recent remarks, Mr Wang Yi, during a media briefing in Beijing, where you emphasised that the comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between our nations constitute a constant, not a variable. This is precisely the guidance provided by our leaders, President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping.

Recently, during their engagement via videoconference – preceded by a telephone conversation – they reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the consistent strengthening of the Russia-China partnership. We will spare no effort to ensure the effective implementation of these agreements.

We underscore the responsibility of Moscow and Beijing to maintain close coordination on the international stage. In this era of complex global political developments, the countries of the Global Majority regard our collaboration as the most significant stabilising factor.

I am confident that today we will reach consensus on advancing our bilateral relations in the context of preparations for high-level meetings, as well as on further coordination within the United Nations, its Security Council, the SCO, BRICS, the G20, ASEAN frameworks, and other multilateral platforms with a view to establishing a more just and democratic multipolar world order.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
Photo: Sputnik Globe

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarked on a three-day official visit to Russia Monday for talks with top Russian officials, including his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and President Putin. In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with Sputnik, Wang outlined the current state of play in world affairs.

Ukraine Peace Deal Must Account for Root Causes of the Crisis

“China is ready to play a constructive role in a settlement together with the international community, especially the countries of the Global South,” China’s foreign minister told Sputnik commenting on the ongoing efforts to reach a peace agreement in Ukraine.

“We advocate for the eradication of the causes of the crisis through dialog and negotiations, and ultimately, for achieving a fair, long-term, binding peace agreement acceptable to all parties, which would make it possible to achieve truly lasting peace and stability in Eurasia and throughout the world,” Wang said.

China has been advocating for a political settlement in Ukraine “from the very first day” of the crisis, Wang said, emphasizing that China’s position “corresponds to the aspirations of the majority of countries in the world community.”

Commenting on President Trump’s peace push, Wang took note of the fact that Russia and President Putin have always been open to dialogue, and said that even small steps toward peace are “constructive” and “worth taking.”

“You cannot achieve peace lying down. You need to work and achieve it through hard work,” China’s top diplomat said.

China’s Attitude Toward Russia-US Normalization

Steps toward a return to normalcy in Russia-US ties are “good for stabilizing the balance of power between the major powers, and instills optimism in a distressing international environment,” Wang said, commenting on President Trump's ongoing push to restore relations with Moscow after three years of naked US aggression.

“The modern world is facing a growing deficit of certainty,” Wang said. “In these conditions, major countries must, by fulfilling their obligations, act as a stabilizing factor in an unpredictable world.”

“Russia and the United States, as leading world powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, bear a significant share of responsibility for peace and tranquility on the planet, especially when it comes to global strategic stability,” Wang said.

China Will Never Accept ‘America First’ by ‘American Bullying’

“Instead of fixing its own problems, Washington is trying in every way possible to shirk responsibility and shift the blame, resorting to tariffs, up to and including blackmail and ultimatums,” China’s foreign minister said, commenting on the Trump 2.0's trade wars.

“The US itself is sick but is forcing others to get treatment,” Wang said, emphasizing that Trump’s trade wars will “cause serious damage not only to the global market and trade order, but the US’s reputation” as well. “‘America First’ cannot be achieved by American bullying, especially to the detriment of the interests of other countries,” he said.

As for Trump’s pretext – using the fentanyl problem to justify a two-fold increase in tariffs, these claims have “no basis,” according to the diplomat.

“Fentanyl abuse is a US problem which Americans themselves must deal with. China, like no other country in the world, pursues a tough and thoroughgoing anti-drug policy. Nonetheless, guided by the principles of humanism, we have helped the United States in every way possible. How did they respond? Not with kindness, but malice and the groundless tightening of tariffs.”

Steps US Must Take to Eliminate Nuclear Danger

The United States is the central actor when it comes to global strategic insecurity, and must reduce the weight of nuclear weapons in its national security strategy, and take other steps to diminish risks, Wang said, commenting on the nuclear issue and recent discussions undertaken by the Trump administration on reducing arsenals.

US “nuclear sharing” and “extended nuclear deterrence,” efforts to create a global missile defense system and the deployment of US ground-based intermediate-range missiles and other strategic weapons near the borders of other countries serve to “undermine” global strategic security, Wang explained.

“We call on Washington to make serious efforts to reduce the risks of nuclear war, and achieve the goal of denuclearization of the planet,’ Wang said.

Three Pillars of China-Russia Relations

China’s foreign minister highlighted three characteristic features of the special relationship between the Eurasian neighbors.

1. “Forever friends and never enemies” (the central principle from the 2001 Russia-China Treaty on Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation).
2. “Equality and mutually beneficial cooperation.”
3. “Non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-directionality against third parties.”

“Chinese-Russian relations do not pose any threat to others, much less are they subject to outside interference, and are not only a modern example of a new type of relationship between major powers, but an important stabilizing factor in a turbulent world,” Wang said.

Russia, China Smashed Fascism Together 80 Years Ago, Now Face New Challenge

“Serving as the main theaters of war in Asia and Europe in the brutal war between good and evil” during the Second World War, “China and Russia were the main forces in the joint struggle against fascism and militarism,” Wang said, commenting on the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of hostilities being marked this year.

The two nations must “preserve the historical truth about the war’s innumerable victims, and oppose any attempts and actions to deny, distort or falsify its history,” Wang emphasized.

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