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Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing on April 15, as a string of foreign leaders affected by the Middle East war gathered in China for talks, according to The Japan Times and Japan Today. The meetings have sharpened attention on Beijing's diplomatic reach as the war adds new pressure on regional security and global energy flows.
Key developments
- Lavrov's visit came alongside meetings in Beijing involving Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vietnamese leader To Lam. Both cited reports described the lineup as a notable cluster of high-level diplomacy around China at a moment of widening instability.
- After meeting Xi, Lavrov said Russia could help "compensate" for China's energy shortfall while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained by the Iran war. That matters because China is a major oil importer, and Japan Today said the conflict has already pushed up prices for petrol, plastics and fertilizers.
- Xi has also been presenting China as a force for de-escalation. In separate talks, he told Abu Dhabi's crown prince that China would play a "constructive role" in promoting peace talks in the Middle East, while warning during his meeting with Sanchez that the world faces "chaos and turmoil," according to the Japan Today report.
- Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Xi urged China and Russia to deepen cooperation and strengthen the resilience of each other's development. Lavrov, for his part, said China-Russia ties play a stabilizing role in world affairs. The reports also said Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the U.S.-Iran conflict, the Asia-Pacific and Ukraine.
What to watch
The next test is whether Beijing moves beyond messaging and tries to use its relationship with Tehran more directly. Analysts quoted by Japan Today said some governments, especially in the Gulf, may be looking to China to press Iran toward restraint and continued diplomacy.
Another point to watch is energy security. If disruption around the Strait of Hormuz continues, Beijing may deepen talks with Moscow and Gulf partners on supply stability. Lavrov also said plans for another Xi-Vladimir Putin meeting are under discussion for the first half of this year, which could become the next major signal of how China and Russia intend to coordinate.
Sources
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