China’s Xi meets Russian FM Lavrov, calls relations with Moscow ‘precious’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with top Chinese leadership to discuss the Iran war and other concerns.Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and pressed for “closer and stronger strategic coordination” between Beijing and Moscow, according to state media.Xi met with Lavrov in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, according to China’s Xinhua news agency, where he urged Russia and China to “firmly defend their legitimate interests and safeguard the unity of Global South countries”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel and Lebanon hold direct talks for first time in decadeslist 2 of 4US forces kill 4 people in latest strike on vessels in eastern Pacificlist 3 of 4New trial begins over football legend Maradona’s deathlist 4 of 4South Africa appoints former apartheid-era negotiator as US ambassadorend of listThe Chinese leader also said the stability and certainty of China-Russia relations were particularly “precious” in an international landscape marked by change and chaos, The Associated Press news agency reported.While a Chinese readout of Xi’s remarks to the Russian minister did not explicitly mention the US-Israel war on Iran, his comments did appear to reference growing fears that the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a global food crisis as critical fertiliser and fuel exports are blocked from leaving the Gulf.The strait has been de facto shut down to most maritime traffic by Iran since shortly after the US and Israel launched their war on February 28, while the US military said on Tuesday that its forces have now completely blockaded all Iranian ports in a move designed to force Tehran to accept US conditions for a ceasefire.The shutdown of the strait is straining global energy supplies, as 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas exports transited the waterway before the war.Lavrov told a news conference after meeting Xi that Moscow could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as shipping through the strait remains choked.Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, second from left, attends a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping, right, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Wednesday [Iori Sagisawa/pool via Reuters]‘Chaos and turmoil’Before he met with Xi, Lavrov met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Tuesday to discuss the conflict in the Middle East, the Ukraine war, and other geopolitical issues, according to China’s CGTN news outlet.