Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. file | Photo courtesy: Reuters
China’s top diplomat wang yi discussed on ukraine crisis with Russia’s deputy foreign minister in Beijing on Wednesday (Oct 30, 2024), the Foreign Ministry said, as Western leaders condemned Moscow’s deepening Relations with North Korea,
According to a statement, Mr Wang told Andrey Rudenko that China’s relationship with Russia is “indispensable” and “strong”, it is “not affected by the changing international situation, and is not directed or influenced by third parties”.
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Tensions have risen in recent weeks as the United States and South Korea have criticized the apparent presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
And Wednesday’s meeting between Wang and Rudenko came as North Korean Foreign Minister Cho Son Hui was scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
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South Korea, NATO and the United States claim thousands of North Korean soldiers are training in Russia – which Moscow and Pyongyang deny.
According to Seoul’s spy agency, the first batch of special forces left for Vladivostok in eastern Russia in early October.
Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters this week that the roughly 10,000 North Korean troops sent for training “will likely augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the next several weeks.”
While Pyongyang has denied that its troops are training in Russia, North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong Gyu said that if such a deployment were to occur, it would be in line with international law.
China considers both Russia and North Korea as its close partners.
The US government has expressed its concern with China over Pyongyang’s increasing military involvement.
China’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment when asked about talks with Washington during a regular news conference on Wednesday.
The Foreign Ministry also declined to confirm whether Mr. Wang raised the issue of North Korean troops in Russia during his meeting with Rudenko.
published – October 30, 2024 10:17 pm IST