China vows ‘deeper' support for Russia after Trump threat
Xi Jinping, China's president, said that Beijing and Moscow should 'strengthen mutual support on multilateral forums' after meeting Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing.
He added that trust between China and Russia had 'deepened', and the two states were 'setting a model for a new type of international relations'.
On Monday, a frustrated Mr Trump threatened to hit Russia's main trading partners, including China, with 100 per cent tariffs if Putin does not sign a peace deal in 50 days. He also announced plans to sell billions of dollars of weapons to Ukraine via members of the Nato alliance, including the UK, France and Germany.
Mr Trump's threat raises the stakes by essentially putting China's economic future on the line, potentially forcing Beijing to choose between domestic growth or sticking alongside its strategic partner, Russia.
China responded to Mr Trump's threat by saying it 'firmly opposed all illegal unilateral sanctions' by the US.
The US and China have already been engaged in a tit-for-tat trade war since Mr Trump took office for his second term in January, with both sides hiking tariffs to more than 100 per cent at one point before finally dialling down tensions to reach some temporary consensus.
Beijing, a diplomatic and economic ally of Moscow, claims to be neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But according to leaked reports of a meeting with EU officials, China's foreign minister said in unguarded comments last month that it cannot afford for Russia to lose the war because it fears Washington would then shift its focus to Beijing.
'Russia didn't care'
Mr Trump's tariff threats were dismissed by a senior Russian official on Tuesday as a 'theatrical ultimatum', though Putin is yet to formally respond.
'Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin,' Dmitry Medvedev, who was once the country's president, posted on X. 'The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care.'
On Tuesday, Mr Trump said he was 'disappointed but not done with' Putin in an interview with the BBC.
The high tension trade spat comes as Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, arrived in Beijing for an official visit, seeking to smooth over bilateral relations, which hit a record low over the past decade. The poor relations also prompted Beijing to engage in hostage diplomacy, arbitrarily imprisoning Australian journalist Cheng Lei as a way to pressure Canberra.
Australia is now seeking a way forward with China to keep open dialogue and look for areas of cooperation, said Mr Albanese on his visit to China.
'We have strategic competition in the region but we continue to engage in order to support peace and security in the region and stability in the region,' Mr Albanese said.
A free trade agreement between Australia and China is scheduled to be reviewed, which could set the tone for relations between the two nations.
China's Xi said of the meeting with Mr Albanese that it was important to create a favourable business environment for both sides, and to 'safeguard multilateralism and free trade' given fast-moving international dynamics.
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