China, Russia vow joint response to 'unilateral' sanctions during Russian PM visit

BEIJING (Reuters) -China and Russia pledged a joint response to unilateral sanctions during a visit by Russia's Prime Minister, as Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to advancing ties with Moscow despite "turbulent" external conditions.

"Both sides will make every necessary effort to carry out mutual assistance and cooperation in opposing unilateral coercive measures," Beijing and Moscow said in a joint communique released by China's foreign ministry on Tuesday after a meeting between Premier Li Qiang and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin the day earlier.

"Any unilateral coercive measures taken by any country or group of countries bypassing UN Security Council resolutions are illegal," it said, adding that such measures cannot be accepted or recognised.

China and Russia are both permanent members of the UN Security Council, with power to veto its resolutions.

The remarks came amid renewed attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump to end Russia's war against Ukraine by pressuring Moscow - and those doing business with Moscow - with sanctions and secondary tariffs.

Beijing has also consistently sought to consolidate ties with its northern neighbour despite a recently agreed-upon trade truce with the United States.

In the joint communique, China and Russia stressed the need to "prevent some country from abusing their monopoly and dominant position in specific sectors of the world economy," without naming the U.S. directly.

RUSSIA WANTS TO STEM A RECENT SLOWDOWN IN TRADE WITH CHINA

Chinese President Xi met Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing on Tuesday, calling for expanding mutual investment, a day after Premier Li Qiang held a regular meeting with Mishustin in Hangzhou, where Li said China wanted to strengthen cooperation with Russia and defend shared security interests.

The Kremlin has highlighted the significance of Mishustin's visit at a time when Russia is under major Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine and looking to stem a recent slowdown in trade with China.

"China-Russia relations have stayed the course toward higher-level and higher-quality development, advancing steadily despite a turbulent external environment," Xi told Mishustin, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

"Safeguarding, consolidating and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice for both sides," Xi said.

He highlighted industries such as energy, agriculture, aerospace, digital economy and green development where the two countries could advance cooperation and foster new engines of growth.

Mishustin said it was important for both sides to continue creating favourable conditions for attracting mutual investment and supporting joint projects, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

CHINA AND RUSSIA SIGNED A "NO-LIMITS" PARTNERSHIP IN 2022

Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a "no-limits" partnership in February 2022 days before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has turned to China to blunt the impact of sanctions, highlighting record trade, increased settlements in yuan and deepening energy cooperation.

Bilateral commerce has, however, declined in recent months as China faces mounting U.S. pressure over trade and technology.

Chinese state oil majors suspended purchases of seaborne Russian oil following U.S. sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Moscow's two biggest oil companies, Reuters reported last month.

(Reporting by Liz Lee, Ethan Wang and Xiuhao Chen in Beijing, and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Kate Mayberry, Alexandra Hudson)