Lavrov: Russia and China must mount 'dual opposition' to West

The governments in Beijing and Moscow must elevate their engagement with each other in order to provide a counterbalance to the West's domineering geopolitical posture, Russia's top diplomat said on Tuesday in the Chinese capital.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has proposed that the two powers mount a "dual opposition" to check the ambitions of the United States and its allies, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference.

"Our leaders, President [Vladimir] Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, have repeatedly underscored the resolve on the part of Russia and China to counter attempts at putting brakes on efforts to build a multipolar world order," Lavrov said.

Lavrov, who has been Russia's foreign minister for more than 20 years, said relations between China and Russia were at an all-time high and that the two sides agreed to "launch a dialogue" on Eurasian security issues, without elaborating.

Xi and Putin declared a "no limits" partnership shortly before Russia invaded its neighbour Ukraine in February 2022. The Chinese leadership has not condemned the Russian war against Ukraine, instead blaming the conflict on the West.

Lavrov thanked China for backing Putin in Russia's rubber-stamp election last month, which gave Putin another six-year term in power.