The National Times - China, Russia ministers discuss Korea tensions at G20: state media

China and Russia have drawn closer since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Western countries accusing Beijing of providing tacit support for its partner's war of aggression.

Beijing has also given a mostly muted response to North Korea's decision to send military assistance to Russia, though President Xi Jinping told US leader Joe Biden last week that China would protect its "core interests" on the peninsula.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that foreign minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, where the two sides "exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and the situation on the Korean peninsula".

The report did not give specific details of the discussions.

Wang said China was "willing to work with the Russian side to further strengthen cooperation and alignment", according to CCTV.

He added that Beijing would make "due contributions to the development and revitalisation of our respective countries and the reform of global governance", the broadcaster said.

Longtime socialist giants with a history of tempestuous ties, China and Russia have bolstered diplomatic, economic and defence ties in recent years while making much of the supposed personal amity between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But some analysts have said North Korea's decision to send troops to Russia for potential deployment in Ukraine has made Beijing uneasy about the security implications in its East Asian backyard.

China is traditionally North Korea's biggest diplomatic ally, and has been a critical source of economic support for Pyongyang's moribund economy.

Last week, Xi told Biden at a summit in Peru that Beijing "does not allow conflict and turmoil to happen on the Korean Peninsula", according to state news agency Xinhua.

"China will not sit idly by when its strategic security and core interests are under threat," Xinhua reported Xi as saying.

N.Johns--TNT