Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin began Tuesday a two-day official visit to China, vowing to deepen bilateral economic ties, in an apparent bid to show the two countries' unity after Group of Seven leaders issued a stern warning against them in Hiroshima.
The premier told the Russia-China Business Forum in Shanghai that Western nations have levied sanctions on an unprecedented scale on Moscow since last year to "destroy our economy," but "none of the things our critics dreamed of happened," according to Russian news agency Sputnik.
The punitive measures have been imposed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine that started in February 2022.
Mishustin said bilateral cooperation in the energy sector is "an absolute priority," noting Russia is the leading oil supplier for China and its China-bound exports of natural and liquefied gas, as well as coal, are "steadily increasing," Russia's Tass news agency said.
Western nations introduced a price cap in December on Russian crude oil to squeeze Russia's key source of revenue as economic punishment for its ongoing war in Ukraine, but China has opposed the sanctions and continued to purchase energy from the neighboring country.
It is the first visit to China by Mishustin, who took office in 2020. He is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Wednesday, according to the Russian Embassy in China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference Tuesday that she hopes the visit will "inject new impetus for deepening cooperation and exchanges in various fields between the two countries."
Asked about some Western nations' concern over closer economic relations between the two countries, Mao said China-Russia cooperation "does not target any third party and shall be free from disruption and coercion by any third party."
"China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies," she said.
