China appreciates Russia’s support of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Beijing on Monday, one day before the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation kicks off.
Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the Chinese side appreciates Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speaking highly and backing of the BRI.
During an exclusive interview with CMG’s program Leaders Talk, Putin said the BRI is fully consistent with Russia’s vision of developing the Eurasian Economic Union, and all participating BRI countries will achieve mutual benefit.
Lavrov said at Monday’s meeting that the BRI has become an important platform for cooperation, with different parties actively participating. The BRI is conducive to mutually beneficial cooperation in Eurasia, he said.
The two sides conducted strategic coordination concerning the efforts to strengthen cooperation within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other multilateral frameworks.
The two sides exchanged views on the tensions between Palestine and Israel. Wang said China condemns all forms of actions that harm civilians and opposes any act that violates international law.
The UN Security Council needs to take measures and major countries should play active roles, Wang said. The most pressing need at the moment is to cease fire and stop war, Wang said, stressing the importance of pushing the two sides back to negotiation and setting up emergency humanitarian channels to prevent a larger-scale humanitarian crisis.
The fundamental approach is to activate the two-state solution, strive for an even broader consensus and promote the establishment of the timetable and road map for restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, he added.
