Following his recent visit to Russia and Central Asia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave an exclusive interview to Xinhua News Agency published today, while in Moscow and during his visits to Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. (“China Vows To Strengthen Cooperation in Regional Security with All Nations: FM,” https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1815684.shtml). He commented on the successful Shanghai Cooperation Organization foreign ministers’ meeting in Moscow, which is in preparation for an SCO video summit in November. On that occasion the heads of the member states will be invited to issue statements to commemoratethe 75th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Fascist War. There was also a great deal of discussion with regard to COVID and collaboration among the countries in their efforts to overcome the crisis. There was general support there for the notion of a Health Silk Road, proposed earlier by President Xi Jinping, and President Xi has been in touch with the leaders of these countries on this matter. The countries also agreed to move forward in the Belt and Road development, adding on the important Digital Silk Road elements of the project.
The countries had also forged an agreement on their efforts to fight against the “three evils,” terrorism, separatism, and extremism, the threat of which Wang said was growing in the region, underpinned by external forces. “Some forces from outside the region have interfered in the internal affairs of countries in the region with various excuses, and even incited a new round of “color revolution,” he said. “At the same time, to maintain unipolar hegemony, these forces are maliciously smearing China, Russia and other emerging economies, unreasonably containing and suppressing them, and even coercing other countries to take sides, in an attempt to create a so-called ‘new Cold War.’ Such acts have overstepped the bottom line of state-to-state relations, and are not in line with the interest of various countries. The international community will not accept such acts that will surely make a disgraceful record in history.”
With regard to his meetings with Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, Wang Yi said the China-Russia relationship was rock-solid. “China and Russia are united like a mountain, and their friendship is unbreakable,” he asserted, and the two are united in standing up against “unilateral bullying.” He said Russia and China would be cooperating in defending multilateralism and in working together to overcome COVID. They would also collaborate closely on the development of science and technology. “The two sides will implement well over 1,000 projects under the framework of the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation, deepen cooperation in the commercialization of outcomes in science and technology, promote two-way exchanges of talents, encourage investment fields including high-tech and Internet, and provide scientific and technological support for practical cooperation between the two countries,” he explained.
Wang Yi also underlined the importance of the upcoming 75th anniversary General Assembly of the United Nations and said that President Xi would be attending meetings in connection with the UNGA.
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