Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday stressed the importance of the friendship treaty with Russia during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, calling relations with Moscow “particularly precious” and urging deeper cooperation, mutual support, strengthened coordination and joint defense of shared interests, according to Chinese state media.
Lavrov said Russia can help boost energy supplies to make up for disruptions caused by the Iran war, including constraints on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. “Russia can, of course, make up for the resource shortfall facing both China and other countries that are interested in working with us on an equal and mutually beneficial basis,” he said at a news conference in China. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit China soon.
Amid the Middle East turmoil following the US-Israeli war on Iran, China has presented itself as a stabilizing force and potential mediator. This week Xi met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Vietnamese leader To Lam, reflecting intensified diplomatic activity around the crisis and China’s evolving role.
Experts say Gulf states hope China will use its influence over Tehran to curb attacks on neighbors and bring Iran to the negotiating table. “China has got leverage and influence over Iran, and there are some hopes and expectations that China can use this influence in a more direct way,” Dylan Loh, an associate professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, told AFP.
Edited by: Rana Taha