Chronologies
China - Russia
Chronology from Jan 2021 to May 2021
: CNSA and Roscosmos hold conference for the international moon station in Nanjing on the sideline of the 58th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
: Russia and China hold 9th ruling party dialogue via video. Xi and Putin send congratulatory letters.
: Biden announces withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. Russia’s Foreign Ministry criticizes the “late withdrawal” for potentially escalating violence, “which in turn might undermine efforts to start direct intra-Afghan negotiations.”
: Biden calls Putin and discusses the Ukraine issue. Biden proposes a summit meeting in the foreseeable future.
: Russia and China hold 7th dialogue on North Pole affairs by video conference, reaching a “broad consensus” regarding various issues.
: Lavrov calls for talks to create a legally binding international instrument to ban the deployment of any type of weapons in space. In 2014, Russia and China jointly submitted a draft treaty to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
: Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticizes politicizing the Beijing Winter Olympics on her Facebook account.
: Putin signs a bill into law enabling him to run for two more terms starting 2024.
: In an interview with Russia’s Channel One, Lavrov says that the relationship with China was not an alliance, stating “our relationship with China is completely different from that of a traditional military alliance. Maybe in a certain sense, it is an even closer bond.”
: Officials of Russian space agency and the CNSA hold a video conference. The discussed issue of jointly building the lunar space station.
: Lavrov travels to China’s southwestern city of Guilin to meet with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The two sign a “Joint Statement by the Foreign Ministers of China and Russia on Certain Aspects of Global Governance in Modern Conditions.”
: A US-China senior dialogue is held in Anchorage, Alaska.
: Moscow hosts regular meeting of the extended Troika on Afghanistan (Russia, China, the US, and Pakistan), including representatives of the Afghan government, Afghanistan’s political activists, the Taliban, Qatar, and Turkey. FM Lavrov delivers welcoming remarks.
: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warns of the “destabilizing” effect of the deployment of US land-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific.
: Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, signs agreement with China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) on the joint creation of the “International Scientific Lunar Station.” The project will be “guided by the principles of equal distribution of rights and responsibilities” and will “promote cooperation … with open access to all interested nations and international partners,” according to Russian sources.
: Russian Ambassador Denisov tells Phoenix TV (Hong Kong) that he will take a high-speed train to Taiwan in the future: “Technologically, China is absolutely capable of building it. Indeed, the two sides of the strait belong to the same land.”
: An article on China’s Defense Ministry’s website says China’s strategic partnership relations with Russia is not an alliance but a new type of relationship of “non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting on the third party.”
: Cheng Guoping, special envoy for external security affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, meets with Russian Ambassador Denisov, in Beijing. The two exchange views on anti-terror and other bilateral issues.
: Russia’s largest independent gas producer, Novatek, signs a long-term contract with a Chinese partner to deliver over 3 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China over 15 years.
: The US carries out airstrikes in eastern Syria against buildings belonging to what the Pentagon said were Iran-backed militias.
: President Biden talks to Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone.
: Chinese FM Wang Yi meets in Beijing with ambassadors of Eurasian states to China. SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov also joins. Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov speaks on behalf of the diplomatic missions in Beijing. He offers heartfelt greetings to Wang Yi on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.
: FMs Wang Yi and Lavrov talk on the phone. They discussed the issue of “non-interference of domestic affairs” and the importance of coordination between the two countries.
: Deputy Chinese Foreign Minister Le Yucheng and Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov meet in Beijing. They discuss issues of “strategic coordination.”
: Biden calls Russian President Vladimir Putin. They discuss a new START treaty. They agree to maintain transparent and consistent communication.
: SCO National Coordinators hold a four-day meeting in Dushanbe of Tajikistan and discuss a wide range of issues regarding Tajikistan’s SCO chairmanship in 2021.
: Taiwan’s de facto ambassador in Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, attends Biden’s inauguration.
: Deputy Chinese Foreign Minister Le Yucheng and Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov meet in Beijing. They exchange views on bilateral relations.
: The US sends an invitation to Russia to attend the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells the media that China’s strategic relations with Russia have “no limit, no forbidden zone and no ceiling to how far this cooperation can go” (中俄战略合作没有止境，没有禁区，没有上限).