VLADIVOSTOK, April 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on Friday thanked Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang for Beijing’s continued support while EU countries are threatening Moscow with sanctions.
“I want to thank China for its stance. In a situation, when [other countries] are trying to throw a lasso of sanctions around Russia, China came forth as an absolutely solid partner,” Rogozin said at a meeting of officials from the two countries.
Beijing is cementing its business ties with Moscow amid strained relations between Russia and the EU, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit China next month to sign a number of bilateral agreements, including on potential Russian gas supplies to China.
Several prospective Russian-Chinese collaborative hi-tech projects are possible in the future, Rogozin said, including on the GLONASS and BeiDou satellite navigation systems and the development of advanced chipsets.
The deputy prime minister added that a joint project is advancing to build a wide-bodied, long-haul airliner.
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also thanked China for its unbiased stance on events in Ukraine, adding that the key to solving the crisis lies in constitutional reform for the country.
Following Crimea's reunification with Russia, European countries announced a three-stage sanctions process against Russia.
The first stage saw the suspension of talks of a number of Russian and EU working groups. In the second stage, the EU announced visa sanctions and asset freezes against targeted Russian officials. The third stage, not yet reached, would be broad economic sanctions.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has called the language of sanctions in relation to Russia both inappropriate and counterproductive.
