China’s top diplomat goes to Russia, while the ties reach “the best level in history”

China’s top diplomat will travel to Russia on Monday for security talks, the latest sign of deepening ties between Beijing and Moscow amid greater uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic.

Yang Jiechi, China’s top foreign affairs committee will remain in Russia until Wednesday for a strategic and security consultation, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. Yang will also visit Croatia and Slovenia before returning to China.

The announcement was made that the two countries were giving more importance to bilateral relations as the dominance of U.S. geopolitics was reversed and the coronavirus caused global upheavals.

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, presidents of China and Russia, took part in the presentation of the video link of a nuclear energy project a few days later. The agreement, signed in 2018, calls on Russia to help China build four nuclear reactors.

Putin said in a presentation on Wednesday that the ties between the residents have reached “the best level in history”, echoing comments made in March by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

China and Russia have “firmly helped” each other in the face of the pandemic, Xi said, and spoke of “comprehensive strategic cooperation for coordination for a new era.”

The comments highlighted the 20th anniversary of the signing of the treaty between the two countries, which aims to strengthen cooperation.

In a call with Putin last year, Xi stressed the need for close relations with Russia because of the “turbulence” caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and said the 2001 treaty established the concept of building a new kind of international relationship, according to state media.

Coronavirus has created foreign policy opportunities for other countries vaccines offered to low- and middle-income countries. In China, new cases of coronavirus have remained low since the middle of last year the economy has recovered much faster than other large countries.

The close relationship between China and Russia contrasts with their ties to the US. President Joe Biden has vowed to fight China for human rights, intellectual property and economic policy, and has named the country America’s toughest competitor. The U.S. president has also imposed heavy sanctions on Russia for “harmful foreign activities.”

The nuclear deal was launched as China seeks to reduce confidence in coal as the world’s largest consumer and meet new energy targets that include reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2060.