Western geopoliticians fantasizing of playing Russia and China off each other to the benefit of their imperial dreams are not in the real world. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has (once again) made that clear when asked in his Jan. 14 press conference about Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent statement that “under the strategic guidance provided by the two heads of state, China-Russia relations were becoming increasingly mature, stable, independent, and strong every day, and served as a model of friendly interactions between major powers and neighbouring countries,” in the reporter’s words. Lavrov agreed fully with the cited remarks of his “good and long-time friend” Wang Yi (with whom he meets several times a year), and called the “Russia-China partnership … among the key factors stabilizing modern international life” in the face of the NATO-U.S. strategy of “wreaking havoc here and there” across the globe, forcing nations “to waste their resources, focus, and time on resolving crises rather than to use them for development purposes.”
“When China and Russia advocate for equal and honest dialogue with Washington, it primarily means upholding the principles of international communication that are enshrined in the UN Charter,” he explained. There are new types of associations and joint initiatives being formed between nations in the world, “without leaders or followers, or masters or subordinates,” many of which rely on the Russia-China partnership. Projects such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Union, which is working closely with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the BRICS, ASEAN, as well as many other associations, “maintain close cooperation. All of that is based on consensus. The Russia-China tandem can move these processes forward with the support of other participants. The international importance of our cooperation, partnership, and future plans is immense. I’m confident these plans will be realized. We do not seek to oppose anyone. The only thing we want is to see all countries on our planet, including the U.S.-led collective West, interact based on respect for the interests of all their partners. This position is shared by Moscow and Beijing.”
