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Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing on Wednesday, describing the bilateral relationship as "precious" and urging both countries to deepen cooperation and strategic coordination, according to state media reports. The meeting took place as a cascade of leaders from countries affected by the Middle East war, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, converged on Beijing for talks with Xi.

Lavrov, on a two-day visit, told a news conference after the meeting that Moscow could "compensate" for China's energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains choked by the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran. The blockade has strained global energy supplies, with 20 percent of the world's oil and gas exports previously transiting the waterway, as reported by The Associated Press.

Coverage comparison

Across five news outlets — Al Jazeera, Dawn, Deutsche Welle, South China Morning Post, and The Associated Press — the meeting was consistently framed as a reaffirmation of China-Russia cooperation against a backdrop of international instability. Most reports highlighted Xi's call for "closer and stronger strategic coordination" and his emphasis on defending legitimate interests and safeguarding the unity of the Global South, as quoted by Dawn and the South China Morning Post.

Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera both noted that Xi met with other leaders this week, including Sanchez and the Abu Dhabi crown prince, reflecting China's positioning as a mediator in the Middle East conflict. Al Jazeera's reporting placed greater emphasis on the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on China, using language such as "blockade" and "pressure," while other outlets adopted a more neutral tone in describing the circumstances surrounding the meeting.

No source reported any dissent or friction in the discussions, and all accounts relied on official Chinese statements and Russian state news agencies for the substance of the talks.

Key claims

  • Xi urged stronger China-Russia partnership: According to multiple reports, Xi told Lavrov that both sides should "give full play to the advantages of geographic proximity and complementarity, deepen all-round cooperation and raise the resilience of each other's development," as quoted by CCTV and carried by Dawn and the South China Morning Post. He also stressed the importance of strategic communication and coordination, per the official readout cited by Al Jazeera.
  • Lavrov offered energy assistance: Lavrov said Russia could "make up for the resource shortfall facing both China and other countries that are interested in working with us," as reported by Deutsche Welle and The Associated Press. This offer was widely interpreted as a response to the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted oil shipments to China, a major importer of Iranian crude.
  • Xi called relations 'precious': In remarks quoted by The Associated Press, Xi described the stability and certainty of China-Russia relations as "precious" in an international landscape marked by change and chaos. Deutsche Welle also reported his call for deeper cooperation and mutual support.
  • US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz: Multiple outlets reported that the US has blockaded Iranian ports, effectively shutting the strait to most maritime traffic. Al Jazeera noted that China imports about a third of its oil supplies through this route, while The Associated Press highlighted that 20 percent of global oil and gas exports used to transit the waterway.
  • China condemned US and Israel: Al Jazeera reported that Beijing and Moscow have condemned the US and Israel over their war on Iran, and that China criticized a US scheme to blockade vessels entering or departing Iranian ports. This claim was not mentioned in other outlets' accounts of the meeting.
  • Xi met other leaders: Multiple sources confirmed that Xi met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Vietnam's President To Lam earlier in the week, underscoring China's diplomatic activity amid the Middle East crisis.

Perspectives

The meeting highlights China's self-styled role as a stabilizing force in a volatile world, with Xi telling Lavrov that "in the face of a turbulent international landscape, the stability and certainty of China-Russia relations are especially valuable," as quoted by the South China Morning Post. This framing was echoed across most outlets, which described the relationship as a "stabilising factor" in world affairs, per Lavrov's remarks to Russian state news agencies.

From a Western perspective, Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera noted the strategic implications of China-Russia alignment, with the latter emphasizing US hopes that pressure on China would lead Beijing to press Iran toward negotiations. Al Jazeera's reporting suggested that Washington aims to isolate Iran economically, and China's continued engagement with Moscow complicates those efforts.

Gulf countries, meanwhile, are reportedly looking to China to use its leverage over Iran to curb attacks and bring Tehran to the negotiating table, according to experts cited by AFP and carried by Deutsche Welle. Dylan Loh, an associate professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, was quoted as saying that China has "leverage and influence over Iran" and that there are "hopes and expectations that China can use this influence in a more direct way."

The war in Ukraine, which began in 2022, has deepened China-Russia ties, a context noted by several sources. Xi's reference to the friendship treaty between the two countries, as mentioned in The Associated Press account, underscores the longevity of the relationship, which has been bolstered by mutual opposition to US-led global order.

No sources provided evidence of any divergence between Chinese and Russian positions on the Middle East or on energy issues, and all reports suggested a high degree of alignment between the two governments.