ANKARA

Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing to discuss a host of regional and global issues, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, state media said.

Lavrov arrived in China for a two-day official visit on Monday, with the two countries looking to strengthen bilateral ties and strategic cooperation.

The two sides agreed to discuss ways to deepen security cooperation across Europe and Asia to counter US attempts “to impose its will on the region,” Lavrov told a news conference after meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Lavrov said Beijing and Moscow have agreed to "start a dialogue with the involvement of our other like-minded people on this issue."

Pointing to Western pressure on both countries, he condemned "unlawful sanctions" which he said violated “international norms in a rude manner.”

This policy, he contended, is starting to be actively applied toward Beijing.

Lavrov alleged that the West is seeking to impede China's "economic and technological development opportunities, to put it simply in order to eliminate the competitors."

Conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine

Wang, at a press conference following bilateral talks with Lavrov, said the two sides discussed the raging conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.

"As a force for peace and stability, China will stick to playing a constructive role on the international stage ... and will never add fuel to the flames," he said.

He said Beijing and Moscow should oppose "hegemonism" and "any 'small circle' that engages in bloc confrontation."

“We must oppose all acts of hegemony, tyranny, and bullying; oppose Cold War thinking and separatist provocations; and actively push for the construction of a common future for all humankind," Wang maintained.

"NATO should not extend its hand to our common homeland," he added.

Beijing, he added, would strengthen strategic cooperation with Moscow, and the two countries must stand on the side of "fairness and justice." ​​​​​​​

The two sides also had in-depth exchanges of view on the Ukraine issue, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, and other international and regional issues of common concern, Chinese state-run Xinhua News reported.

Uniting Global South 'in spirit of equality'

In his meeting with Lavrov, the Chinese president said that the two countries will show more "responsibility, unite countries in the Global South in the spirit of equality, openness, transparency and inclusiveness, promote the reform of the global governance system, and vigorously lead the building of a community with a shared future for humanity."

China, Xi said, always attaches great importance to the development of China-Russia relations, and stands ready to strengthen bilateral communication with Russia and enhance multilateral strategic coordination in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, according to the Xinhua news agency.

"President Putin and I have agreed to continue to maintain close exchanges to ensure the smooth and steady development of China-Russia relations," he was quoted as saying.