The US and its allies are attempting to coerce Beijing over its ties with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in Beijing, May 16, 2024 © Sputnik / Sergey Bobylev
China is too strong to be influenced by “brazen” Western attempts to force it to limit its cooperation with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia on Thursday.
Peskov was speaking as Russian President Vladimir Putin began a two-day visit to China. The trip is Putin’s first visit abroad since he was inaugurated for a fifth term as president earlier this month. He met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Thursday and will attend the opening of the 8th Russia-China EXPO in the city of Harbin, as well as the 4th Russia-China Forum on Interregional Cooperation.
Peskov called the expo “a substantive dialogue,” adding that a large number of Russian regions will be represented and describing it as vital for the development of Russia’s Far East and China’s border provinces. “It’s one of the most important elements of our trade and economic cooperation, which is very multifaceted,” the spokesman stated.
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“There are some problems,” Peskov admitted, but “they are more growth problems.”
The spokesman added that the US and its allies have attempted “to quite brazenly try and put pressure on China in order to limit China’s maneuvers to cooperate” with Russia. “The Chinese are strong enough to withstand this pressure,” Peskov argued, referring to restrictions imposed by the US against Chinese companies that are accused of supplying items used by the Russian military in the Ukraine conflict.
China insists that it has followed an objective and fair position on the Ukraine conflict. It has advocated the promotion of peace talks, and has condemned Western sanctions against Chinese companies. Beijing has also said it does not provide lethal weapons to conflict areas or warring parties.
