BEIJING (AP) – Foreign ministers of China and Russia reaffirmed their countries’ close ties at a meeting on Tuesday amid intense criticism and new Western sanctions against them over human rights.
Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov rejected outside sneaking into their authoritarian political systems, saying they were working on further global progress from climate change until the coronavirus pandemic.
At their first meeting in the South China city of Nanning on Monday, Wang and Lavrov accused the US of meddling in other countries’ affairs and urged it to re-join the nuclear deal with Iran, something the new government of President Joe Biden with caution. Russia and China both maintain close relations with Tehran, sharing a steadfast approach to any political opposition.
The two officials continued that rhetoric at a press conference on Tuesday, where Wang sharply criticized coordinated sanctions by the European Union, Britain, Canada and the United States against Chinese officials over human rights violations in China’s far western Xinjiang region.
“Countries must work together to counter all forms of unilateral sanctions,” Wang said. “These measures will not be embraced by the international community.”
Lavrov said sanctions brought Russia and China closer together and accused the West of “imposing their own rules on everyone else, which they believe should support the world order”.
“If Europe breaks these relationships, simply by destroying all the mechanisms that have been created over many years … then it is likely objectively that our relations with China are developing faster than what is left of relations with European countries. countries, ‘Lavrov said.
In a joint statement released after the meeting, the two ministers said no country should try to impose its form of democracy on another.
“Interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation under the excuse of ‘advancing democracy’ is unacceptable,” the statement said.
China says members of the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang have voluntarily participated in job training and de-radicalization courses, denying allegations that more than 1 million people have been incarcerated in prison-like re-education camps where they are forced into their indigenous culture and pledge allegiance to the ruling Communist Party and its leader Xi Jinping. Media outlets, foreign governments and activist groups say abuses, including forced labor and forced birth control, are ongoing.
China responded immediately to the EU’s decision on Monday by imposing sanctions on 10 European individuals and four institutions that it said had harmed China’s interests and “maliciously spread lies and disinformation.” The persons were not allowed to visit mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao and were not allowed to enter into financial transactions with Chinese institutions.
Xinjiang had faced anti-government violence, but Beijing claims the massive security crackdown has brought peace in recent years.
China and Russia were rivals for leadership of the communist world during the Cold War, but have built a strong relationship in recent years based on opposition to the US-led liberal order, as well as cooperation on military matters, technology and trade in natural resources. China’s ruling Communist Party does not allow political opposition and holds tight to civil society, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin has cracked down on citizens calling for a more open system.
Russia has been under Western sanctions for years over the seizure of Crimea, support for separatists in Ukraine and attacks on critics of the government.
The new EU sanction system imposed on China is similar to the Magnitsky Act – Obama-era legislation that empowers the US administration to impose sanctions on those it sees as human rights violators, freeze their assets and give them access. to ban the United States.
China and the US held contentious talks last week, while US-Russia relations were badly hit Thursday after Putin shot back Biden’s description of him as a murderer.
Also on Tuesday, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and her New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta said in a joint statement that they shared concerns about the legal situation in western China and joined calls for an independent investigation.
“Today, we underscore the importance of transparency and accountability, and reiterate our call to China to grant UN experts and other independent observers meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang,” the statement said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that a unified response “sends a strong signal to those who violate or violate international human rights, and we will take further action in conjunction with like-minded partners.”
China recently tried two Canadian citizens, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, in apparent retaliation for Canada’s December 2019 detention of Meng Wanzhou, a director of Chinese telecom giant Huawei. No statements have been made. The US wants Meng to be extradited to be charged with fraud, infuriating China, which considers her detention to be politically motivated.
According to Canadian broadcaster CTV, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denied any connection between his country’s support for the sanctions and the fate of Spavor and Kovrig. China has accused Spavor and Kovrig of collaborating to steal Chinese state secrets, but has not provided details and banned media and diplomats from the proceedings.
“We regret the arbitrary detention of the two Michaels (Kovrig and Spavor) for a long time and we are working with our allies around the world on this issue,” Trudeau told CTV. “On an unrelated issue, we, along with our international allies, are deeply concerned about the situation facing Muslim minorities in western China.”