Chairman of the Chinese Chapter of the Russian-Chinese Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development Dai Bingguo, center, shakes hands with Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, attends the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The Russian International Affairs Council hosts a Russia-China conference ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to China in June. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
The Associated Press
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's foreign minister says President Vladimir Putin's planned trip to China will give powerful new impulse to ties between the two nations.
Speaking Tuesday at a Moscow conference, Sergey Lavrov described expanding ties with China as Russia's top foreign policy priority.
Lavrov said the two nations share opposition to a unipolar world, a veiled reference to perceived U.S. global domination.
He added that Moscow and Beijing oppose "double standards" as well as attempts at "diktat and blackmail" in global affairs.
Amid a bitter strain in Russia-West relations over the Ukrainian crisis, the Kremlin has sought to bolster ties with Beijing to soften the impact of Western sanctions.
Putin is set to visit China in June on a trip intended to further boost cooperation in the energy sphere and other areas.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The Russian International Affairs Council hosts a Russia-China conference ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to China in June. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
The Associated Press
Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg listens during the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The Russian International Affairs Council hosts a Russia-China conference ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to China in June. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
The Associated Press