BEIJING: Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin announced he will discuss countering sanctions pressure and external interference during meetings with Chinese counterparts this week.
Volodin arrived in China on Monday leading a Russian parliamentary delegation for an official visit.
“On the agenda: countering sanctions pressure and external interference; expanding trade and economic ties; defending historical truth; youth exchanges to strengthen humanitarian cooperation,“ TASS state news agency cited Volodin as posting on social media.
Sanctions pressure includes the United States effort to get China to stop importing Russian oil.
The parliamentary visit precedes President Vladimir Putin’s planned trip to China in late August for World War Two commemorations and a summit with over twenty heads of government.
The events feature a massive military parade on September third that Western leaders are expected to shun, projecting diplomatic solidarity between China, Russia and the Global South.
Beijing has launched a campaign on World War Two history highlighting China and Soviet Russia’s pivotal role against fascist forces in Asian and European theatres.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Putin during May Kremlin talks that their countries should be “friends of steel” while pledging to elevate cooperation and decisively counter United States influence. – Reuters