China defence minister to visit Russia and Belarus

China’s Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu. Pic/AP

Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu is visiting Russia and Belarus in a show of support for those nations which the West has sought to isolate over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Li departed on Monday on the six-day trip, during which he will deliver an address at the Moscow Conference on International Security and meet with defense leaders from Russia and other nations.

Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov is due to speak at the conference on the topic of the "Majority World countries' search for ways to development outside Western mechanisms, including strengthening multilateral associations of a new type," Russia's official TASS news agency reported. It said representatives from about 100 countries and eight international organizations had been invited to attend.

They would "discuss various aspects of security in the conditions of the establishment of a multipolar world order, ways to restore constructive international cooperation in the context of aggressive claims by Euro-Atlantic elites for world domination," it said, quoting the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying.

Li's attendance underscores the drive by China and Russia to align their foreign policies in a bid to undermine the Western-led liberal-democratic world order.

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