The Russian Foreign Minister has arrived in Beijing for an official two-day visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in China on Tuesday for a two-day official visit, where he held extended talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

The foreign ministers were to focus on a "number of high-priority and regional issues," including the situation in the Middle East and the Ukraine crisis, according to Moscow. The discussions will also focus on joint work within the UN, BRICS, the SCO, the G20, APEC, and "other multilateral mechanisms and forums." 

West seeking to 'contain' Beijing and Moscow  

The very foundation of the international relations system has been "severely tested" lately, the Russian and Chinese top diplomats said ahead of the closed-door part of their meeting. Recent events in "Latin America, Venezuela, and what's happening now in the Middle East" are a testament to the current challenges, which largely stem from the actions of the West, Lavrov stated.

All of Eurasia is facing multiple crises, including an "artificially created" conflict in Ukraine, orchestrated by the West to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia, the Russian foreign minister said. The conflict is now being "exploited, primarily by Europeans, to hatch plans to create a new aggressive bloc in the west of the Eurasian continent, involving the Ukrainian regime," and aimed at Moscow, he added.

The eastern part of the Eurasian continent is facing similar "dangerous games" around Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the Korean Peninsula, the top Russian diplomat suggested. Foreign hostile actors are trying to create "small-geometry, block-like structures in order to contain both the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation," he stressed. 

Russia and China on the Middle East crisis

Beijing, a top importer of oil from the region, has slammed the US blockade on the shipping exiting the Strait of Hormuz as a "dangerous and irresponsible act" that risks undermining the "already fragile ceasefire situation" in the region.  

"China urges all parties to abide by the ceasefire arrangements, focus on the general direction of dialogue and peace talks, take practical actions to promote the easing of the regional situation, and restore normal traffic in the strait as soon as possible," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.  

Lavrov's trip also coincides with the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, hosted by President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The Spanish PM is one of the few, if not the only Western leader to firmly oppose US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

Xi noted that "despite the changing and turbulent international landscape, China-Spain relations have developed steadily, forging a relationship with strategic resolve," praising both China and Spain as "countries that value principle and justice," the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said in a statement.  

Planning a Putin-Xi summit 

The top Russian and Chinese diplomats also signed off on a contacts roadmap between their respective ministries for 2026, perceived as a preparatory step for the potential visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, expected to take place later this year.  

The Russian foreign minister appeared to hint at the upcoming presidential visit during his opening remarks at the meeting with Wang. 

"I have no doubt that this year we will have further opportunities to communicate and thereby prepare additional solutions for future contacts between our leaders. These contacts are already planned. We will discuss them in detail today," Lavrov said.