China’s defence minister calls for stronger strategic coordination with Russia in a video call, amid Western accusations of enabling the Ukraine war.
BEIJING: China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun (pic) has called for strengthened strategic coordination with Russia during a video call with his counterpart.
Dong told Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov that China is willing to work with Russia to “enrich the substance of cooperation” and improve exchange mechanisms, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The two countries should also “jointly enhance the ability to respond to various risks and challenges”, Dong said.
The call’s readout, reported on Tuesday, made no mention of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
China and Russia are close partners, with Beijing maintaining it is neutral on the Ukraine war.
Western governments accuse China of providing crucial economic support to Russia’s war effort, including military components for its defence industry.
The defence ministers’ discussion came days after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held a two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi.
That meeting discussed a peace plan pushed by US President Donald Trump, who has also cited Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic.
Trump has pointed to this influence as part of his rationale for a desire to acquire Greenland.
