I believe everyone has noticed some of the remarks made by US Treasury Secretary Yellen during her visit to China, whether it is claiming that China has overcapacity or expressing the tendency of the US to ban TikTok, which shows that she lacks some sincerity in this trip. What is even more interesting is Yellen's warning about cooperation between China and Russia. She said that companies, including Chinese companies, should not provide material support to Russia in the Ukraine crisis, otherwise serious consequences will await these companies. However, as our Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded afterwards, on the position of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China has always been actively promoting peace talks and promoting a political settlement. He also made it clear that Yellen's remarks were smearing Sino-Russian relations and inciting bloc confrontation.
It is worth mentioning that shortly after Yellen issued a warning to China, there was a move on the Russian side. According to reports, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov paid an official visit to China on 8 and 9 July. Judging from some details, the Chinese side received him at a high level and was not affected by the words of the American side. When Lavrov just got off the plane, video from the scene showed the Chinese side laying out the red carpet and arranging a special car transfer. In contrast, Yellen does not seem to be treated in a similar way. In addition, judging by the wording of the Chinese side, there are also differences between the two. Lavrov's visit to China was at the "invitation of the Chinese side," while Yellen's visit to China was "agreed upon by both China and the United States." This proves that the Chinese side is well aware of the intentions of the United States and Russia.
In fact, it is exactly what it is. Yellen spent most of her visit complaining about this and that, such as China's cheap green energy technology harming the interests of the United States, which led to the fact that China and the United States have achieved more substantial results this time, only on anti-money laundering cooperation, which can only be said to be better than nothing. After all, Yellen came from afar, and she couldn't return in vain, otherwise it would be difficult to go back.
In contrast, Lavrov and the Chinese side talked about more harmonious, and they were all things that are conducive to world stability and in the interests of both China and Russia. This includes "hot issues" such as the Ukraine crisis and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as discussions on cooperation in various fields. Russia's REN TV commented that Lavrov's discussion with his Chinese colleagues was not only a dialogue between like-minded people, but also a dialogue between friends.
Of course, in addition to these, what the outside world is more concerned about is whether Lavrov has anything else to talk about during his trip, such as passing on some arrangements after Putin's victory? Not to mention, this is really true; judging from the reports of domestic and foreign media, Lavrov may have two major things to talk about with the Chinese side during his trip.
The first one believes that many domestic viewers have heard the rumors, Reuters said that Lavrov's visit may pave the way for Russian President Putin's visit to China in May, which will be Putin's first foreign trip after his re-election in March this year, after all, in the context of the United States and the West stepping up containment of China and Russia, their attempts to distance China and Russia are becoming increasingly obvious, so Putin's first visit during the new term of office has a certain special significance and weight.
As for the second, it may be related to Lavrov himself. According to the provisions of the relevant laws of the Russian side, no matter whether the president is newly elected or re-elected, after the start of his new term, the existing Russian cabinet members need to resign. Judging from the political order of Russia, the first is Prime Minister Mishustin. According to the usual practice, the re-election of the Russian prime minister is relatively rare, but since Mishustin took office, in fact, his performance is obvious to the outside world, and with his efforts, China and Russia have also reached many cooperation matters, if nothing else, his position will probably not change.
If you look down next, there is the deputy prime minister of the Russian side. As we all know, Putin made a special trip last year to appoint five deputy prime ministers to be responsible for different development areas to better connect with China. As for whether the results are in line with Putin's expectations, this is a question that needs to be figured out, so whether there will be a change in the selection of the Russian deputy prime minister must be marked with a question mark. And last but not least, Lavrov, who has a wealth of diplomatic experience, began his career in the Soviet Union, and now has served as Russia's foreign minister for decades, and his ability is undoubtedly undoubted. However, since he is now 74 years old, if he continues to work, he may not be able to bear it a little physically, so it is very likely that he came to China this time to greet the Chinese side in advance before the high-level changes in Russia. However, no matter how there are changes at the top level of Russia, Sino-Russian relations should be very solid, and we have the confidence and confidence to do so.