BEIJING (AP) 鈥� China鈥檚 Foreign Minister on Monday called Russia Beijing鈥檚 鈥渕ost important strategic partner,鈥� amid its continued refusal to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.
Wang Yi said ties with Moscow constituted 鈥渙ne of the most crucial bilateral relationships in the world.”
China has broken with the U.S., Europe and others that have imposed sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Beijing has said sanctions create new issues and threaten a political settlement of the conflict.
鈥淣o matter how perilous the international landscape, we will maintain our strategic focus and promote the development of a comprehensive China-Russia partnership in the new era,鈥� Wang told reporters at a news conference on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China鈥檚 ceremonial parliament.
鈥淭he friendship between the two peoples is iron clad,” he added.
Much attention has been paid to a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Feb. 4, after which a joint statement was issued affirming 鈥渟trong mutual support for the protection of their core interests.”
Russia endorsed China’s view of self-governing Taiwan as an 鈥渋nalienable part of China, and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan,” while China backed Russia in opposing the further enlargement of NATO.
Since then, Xi鈥檚 government has refused to criticize the Russian invasion but tried to distance itself from Putin鈥檚 war by calling for dialogue and the respect of national sovereignty. That prompted suggestions Putin failed to tell the Chinese leader his plans before their February statement.
Along with denouncing trade and financial sanctions on Moscow, Beijing says Washington is to blame for the conflict for failing to take Russia’s security concerns into consideration.
During an hour-long phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, Wang said China opposes any moves that 鈥渁dd fuel to the flames鈥� in Ukraine.
Chinese state-controlled media outlets were told to post only pro-Russian content and to censor anti-Russian or pro-Western views, according to a copy of instructions that appeared on the social media account of the newspaper Beijing 草莓传媒. The post was later deleted.
On Friday, a translation by state TV of remarks by the head of the International Paralympic Committee during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Paralympics skipped portions that expressed horror about the war in Ukraine and called for peace.
Online and in Chinese social media, expressions of sympathy for Ukraine and support for Russia appear but not criticism of Moscow.
The state-run newspaper Capital 草莓传媒 appeared to support Putin鈥檚 demand that Ukraine become a neutral buffer between Russia and Europe and give up the possibility of NATO membership.
鈥淯kraine should be a bridge between East and West, rather than a frontier of confrontation between major powers,鈥� Capital 草莓传媒 said.
The most senior Chinese leaders have avoided mentioning the war in public.
On Saturday, Premier Li Keqiang, the No. 2 leader, indirectly acknowledged its impact, saying prices of oil, wheat and other commodities are high and 鈥減rone to fluctuation,鈥� but gave no indication why.
Li said global conditions were 鈥渋ncreasingly volatile.鈥�
Later on Saturday, Blinken expanded on his phone conversation with Wang in remarks with CNN鈥檚 Jake Tapper.
鈥淐hina speaks often about the sanctity of this principle of sovereignty,” Blinken said, adding that he told Wang that now one of the U.N. Security Council’s permanent members, Russia, was 鈥渧iolating that very principle.鈥�
鈥淪o we are looking to China to make its voice heard. That voice counts, and I hope that they鈥檒l do that,鈥� Blinken said.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
