State friendship: Lavrov confirms Putin's visit to the APEC summit

Relations between Russia and China are at a historic peak: mutual trade turnover is steadily reaching an absolute record this year, and the positions of Moscow and Beijing on most key international issues coincide or are as close as possible. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, which took place in Baku. The Azerbaijani capital is hosting the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia these days. However, the large-scale political forum is taking place in a casual atmosphere and has not caused an ostentatious stir in the city.

Baku is used to the summits

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in Baku to participate in the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA). The main program of the forum is scheduled for October 15, but the Minister's work schedule began immediately upon arrival. Lavrov went straight from the airport to the Hyatt Hotel, where he was scheduled to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

On the way from the airport, there was nothing to betray the preparations for the landmark event: there was no hint of fuss on the roads. And this is despite the fact that Baku hosts the forum, which takes place only once every four years and unites almost 30 states.

Although it is worth admitting that the CICA is far from the most media—oriented and recognizable summit in the international arena. In addition, for most Baku residents, the recent historic victory of the capital's team in the Champions League probably overlaps with any official event.

— Baku is now positioning itself as an important center of international life, where major global summits and forums are regularly held. We can recall the COP climate Conference or the World Urban Forum. The capital is just getting used to this rhythm, so there is no artificial excitement on the streets," one of the diplomats explained the true reason for the calm atmosphere in an interview with Izvestia.

Certain security measures were still noticeable: there were a lot of police officers on duty on the streets. However, according to local residents, this has little to do with the arrival of delegations — city patrols are actively monitoring law and order on the most ordinary days.

The situation in the hotel itself also remained calm, despite the fact that the main diplomats of the two nuclear powers were negotiating behind closed doors. Only ordinary guests sometimes looked around with incomprehension, wondering why so many Russians and Chinese suddenly appeared in the halls of the Hyatt at the same time.

Striving for multipolarity

Sergey Lavrov was the first to arrive at the meeting place. While waiting for his colleague, he managed to briefly discuss the working nuances with his diplomats. Soon Wang Yi entered the room. The Chinese minister seemed to want to get straight to the business part of the program, but Sergey Lavrov, with a smile, suggested taking a protocol photo first, addressing his colleague in English. In case of difficulties, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, who speaks Chinese, immediately appeared nearby, ready to back up the ministers at any second and help smooth out any subtleties of the language barrier.

The open part of the negotiations was conducted in an emphatically friendly manner. In their speeches, the diplomats used the word "friend" — this format resembled the confidential and warm style of meetings between the leaders of the two states, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, setting the tone for the entire Russian-Chinese strategic partnership.

The Russian minister noted that next month the Russian president will visit Shenzhen to participate in the APEC summit. "We look forward to another conversation with Mr. Xi Jinping," he said. It is this site in China that is currently in the spotlight of the world's media: experts and politicians are actively discussing the possibility of holding a trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, China and the United States there. But so far, none of the parties has confirmed the negotiations in this format.

According to Sergey Lavrov, the strategic link between Moscow and Beijing plays an important stabilizing role, and positions on most international issues coincide or are very close.

The main task for the Russian Federation and China now is to coordinate efforts to form a polycentric global governance system and strengthen the international influence of the SCO and BRICS, Sergei Lukonin, head of the Chinese Economic and Political Sector at the IMEMO RAS, told Izvestia. In other words, Moscow and Beijing are consistently striving to make the new world order more just and less Western-centric. There should be no place in this coordinate system for a single power that single-handedly tries to impose its own rules of the game on others.

In this regard, it is important for Moscow and Beijing to promote the further integration of the One Belt, One Road project and the EAEU, and strengthen the positions of BRICS and the SCO in the international arena, said Alexander Yershov, a researcher at the Center for the Study of the Modern History of China and its Relations with Russia at the ICSA RAS.

The high level of political trust between the two countries is also underpinned by a strong economic foundation. If the previous historical maximum was recorded in 2024, when the volume of trade reached $244.8 billion, then for 9 months of this year, according to Chinese statistics, it has already exceeded $214 billion.

—And this year, almost without a doubt, another record of our trade exchange will be broken," the Russian minister said.

International crises

Although the ministers did not focus on specific international crises in the open part of the meeting, these topics obviously remain part of the bilateral agenda. And Sergey Lavrov hinted in his speech that there would be a clock reconciliation in Baku.

— We met quite recently, in Cholpon Ata, and since then the international situation in the Middle East and other regions has not become easier. We have a very good opportunity here to exchange views on how Russia and China will continue to fulfill the tasks set by our leaders," the Russian minister said.

Indeed, many significant events have taken place since the last ministerial meeting. And given the growing instability in the international arena, Moscow and Beijing urgently need constant coordination. Today, the Middle East is on the verge of a major war, and Iran acts as a key link for both powers — it is an important partner for both Russia and China. Moscow and Beijing are linked to Tehran not only by geopolitical interests, but also by vital logistics chains. In addition, the struggle between the Yemeni Houthis and Saudi Arabia is intensifying in the region.

Equally important is the Ukrainian crisis and related American attempts to resolve it. Beijing is closely monitoring the course of the conflict and the state of Russian-American relations, noting even small changes in Washington's position, said Viktor Pirozhenko, an expert at the Intercultural Research Center at Huzhou University. In recent days, Moscow and Washington have agreed on a diesel deal, and Trump has increased pressure on Vladimir Zelensky, whom the White House is urging to hold elections.

According to the political scientist, China has now taken a pause in its mediation efforts. This is due to the fact that the Donald Trump administration, unlike the Joe Biden administration, does not exert such pressure on Beijing to abandon its neutral position and unequivocally support one of the parties to the conflict. The goal of the United States under President Biden, in his opinion, was clear — to quarrel between Russia and China, and then cause distrust of the countries of the global South towards China. Beijing has successfully avoided this diplomatic trap, the expert noted.

At the same time, Beijing does not refuse mediation, but no major power, including China, is able to resolve this crisis alone, Yang Cheng, a professor at Shanghai University of International Studies, added.

At the same time, China's position has a tremendous impact on other countries, and Beijing's role has significantly increased in recent years in the countries of the Global South. The neutral position of such a powerful player in Ukraine is a good example for them. Moreover, this balanced line even affects some Western countries, which today are critically connected with China economically.

The interaction between Moscow and Beijing can become a fundamental example of a new interstate dialogue, a system where everyone has the right to their own path of development, and diplomacy is based on the principles of a non—zero-sum game.