Askume, Oct 3 – The Russian foreign minister said in an interview published on Thursday that Russia stands with China on Asian issues and criticised the United States for expanding its influence and “deliberately” provoking tensions against Taiwan.
Sergei Lavrov also praised Beijing’s approach to the war in Ukraine in an article in the state-run newspaper Rossiya Gazeta, saying both countries wanted to eliminate the problems Moscow said were behind the conflict.
Writing on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China, Lavrov said Moscow and Beijing “remain in close cooperation in assessing the risks posed by Western advances in the Asia-Pacific region.”
“The United States and its satellite countries deliberately inflame the situation in the Taiwan Strait,” Lavrov wrote.
On top of that, he said, “they are strengthening ties with Taiwanese authorities, which is a violation of the ‘one China’ principle they recognize.”
Lavrov was referring to the Chinese government’s basic policy that Taiwan is part of China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly vowed to bring democratically governed Taiwan under Beijing’s control, even by force if necessary. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only its people can determine their own future.
Xi Jinping said in a speech this week that Taiwan is an integral part of China’s territory and vowed to “resolutely oppose any separatist activities calling for Taiwan’s independence.” “The country’s complete reunification (with Taiwan) is a unique trend,” he said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
US President Joe Biden approved $567 million in defense aid to Taiwan this week, and even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, Washington remains Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier. China has repeatedly called on Washington to halt arms sales to Taipei.
In a speech in Rossiya Gazeta, Lavrov said that the European security system and Euro-Atlantic affairs have been “completely discredited” by the United States and NATO. He called for the establishment of a “new Eurasian security architecture” based on the principle of “regional solutions to regional problems”.
Lavrov praised China’s “balanced and consistent” approach to the two-and-a-half-year-long war in Ukraine and said China’s initiatives addressed the root causes of the problem, including NATO’s eastward expansion and the establishment of an “anti-Russian military front in Ukraine”.
China and Brazil are pushing for a peace plan, the centerpiece of which is a conference to which both Ukraine and Russia would be invited. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the proposal and presented his own “Victory Plan,” and Kiev insisted on restoring Ukraine’s post-1991 Soviet borders.
(This story is reprinted to clarify Article 7 of China-Taiwan relations)
