China’s Wang meets Lavrov ahead of G20 talks in Bali

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Bali on Thursday for talks ahead of a G20 ministerial meeting marred by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The pair were pictured at a bilateral meeting on the Indonesian holiday island as the world’s leading economies gathered to discuss the most pressing global issues on Friday, with the Ukraine war high on the agenda.

Despite criticism, Beijing has maintained friendly relations with Russia as Western nations have sought to isolate President Vladimir Putin’s government from the global financial and diplomatic order over the military assault on its neighbor.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend and hold bilateral talks with Wang on Saturday.

But he will avoid a face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart even as they face their first showdown since the war broke out.

Lavrov last saw Blink in January in Geneva, where the top US diplomat warned Russia of massive consequences if it goes ahead and invades Ukraine, which it did on February 24.

Washington has argued that Russia should no longer be a member of the international forum, a position shared by some Western allies.

She will use the meeting – which is a prelude to a summit of leaders in November – to persuade allies like India who disagreed with her position on Ukraine to back away from Moscow.

But China has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic protection to the Kremlin by blasting Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv.

Beijing pursues an independent foreign policy towards Russia and both reject interference from so-called “third parties”.

A meeting between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in February ended with the couple declaring a “new era” in international relations with “no borders” for their relationship.

Xi assured Putin of China’s support for Russia’s “sovereignty and security” in a phone call last month.

The United States quickly intervened, condemning China for “investing in close ties with Russia” despite claiming to be neutral.