China and Russia reaffirm close ties as Putin meets top diplomat

Since the start of the war in Ukraine last year, China has claimed to be neutral, although it has made many comments supporting Russia. On Saturday the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said China could be on the verge of supplying lethal weapons to Russia, a claim China denies.

The paper also explicitly rejected the use of sanctions as a means of resolving disputes. Xi has made repeated calls for China to become self-sufficient in key industries, such as semiconductors, as it faces a growing number of US export controls. Were China to attempt to take over Taiwan by force, the prospect of international sanctions, similar to those that have been imposed on Russia, would be one of the many hurdles in its path.

Gabuev said he was sceptical about warnings that China was imminently planning to negotiate new deliveries of arms or munitions that would directly affect the war effort. Beijing could tie arms deliveries to similar US support for Taiwan, he suggested.

For Russia, expanding economic cooperation with China is key to surviving sanctions and maintaining the war effort.

Additional reporting by Andrew Roth.