Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the meeting with Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi, Beijing, February 3, 2022

Esteemed Foreign Minister,

My dear friend,

I am glad to see you again. Thank you for the invitation to visit Beijing at this special moment when there is a festive atmosphere wherever you go because of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Tiger. There is a tradition of paying visits during the New Year holiday. We came to see our friends on this occasion. I am especially pleased about this because the Year of the Tiger is my year.

This is a good opportunity to get together in person. It will allow us to discuss in detail all issues that require our attention and to exchange views, all the more so given the fast-paced agenda on the eve of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin’s visit to the People’s Republic of China, which starts tomorrow.

This is our first face-to-face meeting in more than two years because of the coronavirus.

We greatly value the unprecedented level of cooperation with our Chinese friends, their firm and reciprocal support.

Our relations rely on broad public consensus in both countries. They are self-sufficient, sustainable and immune to the fluctuations of the political environment. They are not aimed against third countries.

Our foreign ministries maintain close cooperation that facilitates stability and predictability in international affairs.

The 24th Winter Olympic Games open tomorrow. This is a magnificent event. I am sure that it will provide the entire international community with a new striking demonstration of the ability of your country to organise and hold major international competitions. Moreover, Beijing will be the first city in history to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Like China and the overwhelming majority of countries, Russia is categorically opposed to boycotting international competitions, politicising high-level sports instead of respecting the ideals of the Olympic movement and turning sports into a tool for exerting pressure on objectionable countries. I would like to wish Russian and Chinese Olympians exciting battles, impressive victories in honest competition, and new records.