Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Beijing on Tuesday, marking their first in-person engagement of the year.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of mounting instability in West Asia, where a tightening US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz has heightened tensions.

The discussions reflected the deepening strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing as they navigate a volatile global landscape. Lavrov emphasised the continuity of dialogue, noting that although this was their first face-to-face meeting in 2026, they had already held several substantive and detailed telephone conversations.

He expressed confidence that further exchanges would prepare the ground for upcoming leadership engagements between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Lavrov underscored that the global order was facing “the most serious trials,” citing crises in Latin America, Venezuela, and the Middle East.

He claimed that the Ukraine conflict had been “manufactured” by Western nations and was now being used to justify the creation of a new “aggressive bloc” in Eurasia aimed against Russia. He argued that this development was particularly driven by European powers seeking to consolidate bloc-based structures.

Turning to Asia, Lavrov raised concerns over destabilising trends in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and the Korean Peninsula. He warned that longstanding cooperative frameworks in the ASEAN-centred space were being undermined by attempts to dismantle them in favour of small-group and bloc-based structures designed to contain both China and Russia.

Reaffirming alignment between Moscow and Beijing, Lavrov highlighted their shared commitment to regional and global security frameworks. He pointed to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative and Russian proposals for a broader Eurasian security architecture led by President Putin as guiding principles for practical cooperation.

He stressed that the vast Eurasian continent required constant attention and expressed confidence that the meeting would yield concrete steps.

Lavrov described the talks as timely and voiced readiness for “concrete and productive work.” The agenda is expected to cover bilateral cooperation, coordination in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, BRICS, SCO, G20, and APEC, as well as ongoing consultations on major international conflicts, including Ukraine and the Middle East.

The meeting underscored the growing “no-limits” partnership between Russia and China as they seek to counter Western interventionism and strengthen their strategic alignment in an increasingly fragmented global order.

ANI