MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday hailed joint military drills between Moscow and Beijing as strengthening the two countries’ new strategic partnership.
Lavrov accused the West of searching for ways to anger China on a host of issues, such as the status of Tibet and Taiwan. He said China was too powerful for the United States to stand against on its own, so Washington was being forced to “mobilise” the West to support its anti-Beijing agenda.
Russia and China signed a “no limits” partnership last February, days before Moscow sent its armed forces into Ukraine. Their economic links have boomed as Russia’s connections with the West have shrivelled.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly acknowledged that Chinese President Xi Jinping has “concerns” over Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
