Russia, China condemn Western sanctions on Moscow

 China, (Reuters), March 30-Foreign Ministers from Russia and China on Wednesday condemned what they called illegal and counter productive Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its action in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.   

 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, where China was set to host two days of meetings on Afghanistan.   

 The meeting comes a little over a month after Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what Russia calls a special operation, triggering unprecedented Western sanctions.   

 Russia is looking to China for support and partnerships as it becomes ever more isolated from global financial systems and supply chains.   

 The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry informed his Chinese counterpart about the progress of the special military operation ... and the dynamics of the negotiation process with the Kyiv regime”.   

 The ministry said the two ministers had agreed that Russia and China would continue to strengthen their strategic partnership and to speak on global affairs “with a united voice”.   

 Lavrov arrived earlier in China for talks hosted by Wang that were set to include representatives from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban as well as Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.