Russia's Top Diplomat Woos China By Way Of Summit On Afghanistan

As Russia grows increasingly isolated and the war in Ukraine drags on, the country's top diplomat is meeting his counterparts in China this week — one of the few countries that has refused to condemn Russia's actions, and a key economic partner, Jessie Yeung reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in China's Anhui province on Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in China's Anhui province on Wednesday, according to Chinese state media CGTN. Russia's Foreign Ministry tweeted a photo of Lavrov bumping elbows with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, standing before the Russian and Chinese flags.

Lavrov will attend a two-day meeting with countries neighboring Afghanistan, including Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It will focus on how to "jointly stabilize the Afghan situation and support and help the Afghan people," said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, on Monday.

There will also be a separate meeting on Afghanistan with representatives from Russia, Pakistan, and the US — the four countries known as the extended Troika, according to Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times.

Though the meetings are focused on Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine looms over Lavrov's visit — and the China-Russia relationship. It's not clear whether Lavrov will speak about the war with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi or other Chinese officials during his visit – Wang Wenbin dodged several questions about this over the past week — but experts say a discussion is likely.

"It is inconceivable that the sides will avoid Ukraine in their discussions, whatever they say the focus of the visit is about," said Steve Tsang, director of SOAS China Institute at the University of London.

Since Russia launched its invasion into Ukraine, China has attempted to take what it calls a neutral position, choosing not to impose sanctions on Moscow or even call it an invasion. Instead, China has increasingly blamed the United States and NATO for the conflict, with state media promoting Russian disinformation.

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