- China's Pres. Xi Jinping and Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov met in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported, with the Chinese leader stressing the importance of China-Russia relations. XINHUA
- At the meeting, they reportedly discussed preparations for a state visit of Vladimir Putin to China, which is expected to take place later this year, among other issues. Sputnik International
- According to Lavrov, Xi and Putin will meet this year on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan and the BRICS summit in Russia. South China Morning Post
- Earlier, he and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, announced that both countries will engage on Eurasian security, counter alleged attempts to slow down the formation of a multipolar system, and seek a way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. TASS
- The Russian foreign minister arrived in Beijing for a two-day official visit on Monday, just as US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen concluded a four-day trip to China in which she had "difficult conversations" about security with Chinese officials. Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- This comes as Bloomberg News reported, citing anonymous US officials, that China has sent military equipment and geospatial intelligence to assist Russia in the Ukraine war. Daily Mail (LR: 5 CP: 5)
Pro-establishment narrative:
- While the latest push to defrost US-China relations has been somewhat successful, Beijing's growing alignment with Moscow poses a significant threat to that goal. It's entirely unacceptable that Chinese companies have provided material support for Putin's war against Ukraine.
BUSINESS INSIDER (LR: 3 CP: 4)
Establishment-critical narrative:
- What is unacceptable is that Washington wants to meddle in the foreign policy of sovereign countries as well as in the legitimate business of foreign companies as if America had either the authority or moral high ground to dictate what they can do. China-Russia relations must be respected, instead of smeared.
RT INTERNATIONAL
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 50% chance that the next "Great Power" war will occur by June 2038, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)