China, Russia defend virus origins tracing, truth of WWII: FM

Exchanging views on opposing the politicization of virus origins tracing and safeguarding history of World War II, the phone call between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov covered major issues that concern the two countries and the world.

Wang said that Russia has participated in the joint statement along with other countries and also sent a separate letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), opposing the politicization of the COVID-19 origins tracing and questioning the WHO's plan for the second phase of origins studies put forward by the WHO Secretariat. This reflects the spirit of high-level strategic coordination between China and Russia, Wang said.

China and Russia are model strategic partners that have deep trust in each other. Any Western force trying to sow discord between the two are doomed to fail, Wang said.

He also noted that China and Russia would continue to promote high-level communication, deepen political mutual trust and strengthen back-to-back strategic cooperation.

Lavrov said the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era between Russia and China has developed vigorously and achieved fruitful results. The two sides have joined hands in fighting the pandemic and have made contributions to international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic.

At a press conference following the meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in June, Lavrov said that politicians "shouldn't strive to score points and increase their popularity by speculating about the COVID-19 situation."

In facing the US and some Western countries' politicizing origins tracing work to attack China, more countries and scholars have stood out to express opposition. Over 300 political parties, social societies and think tanks in over 100 countries and regions opposed politicizing virus origins tracing in a joint statement sent to the WHO Secretariat on August 2.

"The high-level interaction is necessary and timely against the backdrop of the US and the West politicizing the origins tracing work and pressuring the WHO to attack China… China and Russia have responsibilities to oppose the tendency," Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Wang and Lavrov also talked about the joint efforts in defending the truth of history, human dignity and achievements of World War II.

Russia's contributions in World War II related to its core interests, as the US and some forces in the EU are working to falsify or obliterating its role to portray the US as major force in victory. And China is firmly standing with Russia to defend the truth of history, Cui Heng, an assistant research fellow from the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

The mutual support between China and Russia on the origins tracing work and contributions in World War II not only shows their respect of each other's core interests but also reflects their opposition to the West using hegemony in international public opinions to stigmatize and attack China and Russia, Cui noted.

What China and Russia are doing is not only about fighting for themselves but also to seek truth that the West and the US are trying to cover up, Cui said.

The current high level of Russia-China relations has surpassed the military and political alliance during the Cold War, Lavrov said. Russia is willing to cooperate with China on a series of celebration activities in the two countries around the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, he said.