BEIJING/MOSCOW — Sergei Shoigu told Wang Yi that Russia would continue to support Beijing’s position on Taiwan, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS, in a renewed show of alignment between the two powers as regional tensions remain high.
Shoigu, a former defence minister who now serves as secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said “ill-wishers” were destabilising the situation in the Taiwan Strait and reaffirmed what he called Moscow’s “consistent and unwavering” backing for Beijing. He added that Russia recognises the People’s Republic of China as “the only legitimate government representing all of China,” the reports said.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force, while offering a “one country, two systems” formula similar to Hong Kong—an approach widely rejected in Taiwan’s mainstream politics. Russia has repeatedly opposed Taiwan independence in any form, describing the island as an inseparable part of China.
Shoigu arrived in China on Sunday for talks that Russian officials said would cover security issues. In a Chinese foreign ministry readout, Wang said China and Russia have an “obligation” to uphold multilateralism and promote what he called an “equal and orderly multipolar world,” while boosting mutual support for each other’s “core interests.”
The visit comes as Russia, Ukraine and the United States hold contacts aimed at ending the nearly four-year war that began after Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022—days after Moscow and Beijing declared a “no limits” partnership.
