Russian Defense Minister Hails ‘Unprecedented’ Beijing Ties on China Visit

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said Moscow’s strategic partnership with Beijing has reached “an unprecedentedly high level” as he visited China for talks, his ministry said Tuesday. Russia has sought closer ties with China since its assault on Ukraine launched in 2022 that Beijing, insisting it is a neutral party, has never denounced, calling for peace talks instead.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The Chinese and Russian militaries have held regular joint exercises in recent years, a partnership that Western and some other governments view with suspicion as Moscow’s war on Ukraine grinds on. Belousov, during his China visit, said that “the strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China has reached an unprecedentedly high level,” according to a statement by his ministry. He also said the partnership was “grounded in the personal contacts” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping. In China, Belousov met with Zhang Shengmin, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the body headed by Xi that directs the armed forces. The meeting comes before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on November 18-19. Putin said said has said he intends to be at the summit, which US President Donald Trump has also said he will try to attend. The Kremlin said in September that Putin and Trump had discussed the idea of holding a trilateral meeting with Xi at the summit. Other Topics of Interest ‘Pressure Putin, Not Me’ – Zelensky Urges Trump to Increase Pressure Zelensky urges Trump to pressure Putin rather than Ukraine, warning that Russia could threaten NATO countries if Kyiv is not strengthened.