On January 10, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Wang Yi said, the year 2021 just passed was a year of vigorous progress and bright spots in China-Russia relations. President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin have maintained close exchanges, set the tone for the development of bilateral relations, guided major international agenda, and jointly embarked on a new journey of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. In the new year, China will unswervingly deepen its back-to-back strategic coordination with Russia to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of both sides, and maintain world peace and stability.
Wang Yi said, President Putin's visit to China and attendance at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games is not only the first offline meeting between the two heads of state in nearly two years, but also a major event in international relations at the start of this year. China is ready to work with Russia to compare notes to ensure the complete success and fruitful results of the get-together for the Winter Olympics and the New Year between the two heads of state.
Lavrov fully agreed with China's views, saying that the Russian side will keep close communication with the Chinese side and work together to make good preparations. I believe that President Putin's visit to China and the Beijing Olympic Winter Games will be a success.
The two sides exchanged views mainly on the situation in Kazakhstan. Lavrov introduced the assessment of the situation in Kazakhstan made by the special summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), saying that more and more information clearly shows that the current chaos in Kazakhstan is a riot orchestrated by external forces. This is also the view of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev himself and Kazakhstan. The CSTO dispatched peacekeeping troops to take action at the request of the Kazakh side, and the situation in Kazakhstan has improved significantly.
Wang Yi stressed, President Xi Jinping has specifically sent a verbal message to President Tokayev, publicly expressing that China firmly opposes any deliberate attempt by external forces to provoke unrest in Kazakhstan. China agrees with President Tokayev's judgment on the nature of the violent and terrorist incidents in Kazakhstan, and supports the CSTO in helping Kazakhstan crack down on violent and terrorist forces and in playing a positive role in restoring stability in Kazakhstan on the premise of respecting Kazakhstan's sovereignty.
Wang Yi said, China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN Security Council and friendly neighbors of Central Asian countries, should never allow chaos or war to erupt in the region. The two sides should continue to deepen coordination and cooperation, oppose interference by external forces in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries. We should leverage our respective strengths to help Central Asian countries fight the pandemic, develop their economies and eradicate the breeding ground for turmoil. We should support the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the CSTO in strengthening coordination and cooperation to jointly and effectively address various challenges to regional security.