JEDDAH: Johor Darul Ta'zim's (JDT) hopes of becoming the first Malaysian club to reach the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite semi-finals were dashed after a narrow 1-2 defeat to defending champions Al-Ahli on Friday (April 17).
Russia and China’s top envoys met in Beijing on Tuesday to discuss the Iran war, Ukraine and Taiwan as Beijing stepped up its Iran war diplomacy and tensions with Washington increased. In a jab at Washington and US President Donald Trump that did not mention either by name, a Chinese readout of the meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov noted that the world is increasingly marked by turmoil and instability.
The two top diplomats also discussed plans for a meeting “within the year” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. As of April 2026, the two heads of state have met at least 45 times since Xi took office in 2013, most recently at a“The current international situation is experiencing severe turbulence, the harm of unilateral hegemony has intensified, the global governance system is undergoing profound adjustments and the cause of human peace and development is facing severe challenges,” China’s state Xinhua news service reported, quoting Wang.is facing severe challenges, and some countries are attempting to form ‘small circles’ to contain Russia and China,” Lavrov reportedly added, even as Wang called for “international morality” and “world multi-polarisation”.
Lavrov warned of “some very, very dangerous games going on” in East Asian geopolitical hotspots that included Taiwan, the disputed South China Sea and the nuclear-armed Korean peninsula, according to an account of the meeting released by Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed by law to supplying it with weapons.
Citing their shared land mass, Lavrov added: “Our vast continent as a whole demands constant attention.” China is hosting several leaders this week from countries affected by the US-Israeli war on Iran and the economic fallout from the Strait of Hormuz closure, including Vietnam’s To Lam and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.China and Russia have become increasingly close politically, economically and diplomatically, particularly after they signed a in early 2022, just weeks before Moscow invaded Ukraine, aimed at contesting the US-led global order., with China accounting for 57 per cent of Russian imports by 2024, more than double its 23 per cent level in 2022, according to the official European Union for Security Studies think tank.
Two-way trade declined modestly in 2025, however, tied more to lower oil prices and sanctions on Russia than any dip in relations. “China and Russia share deep ideological and geopolitical interests that bind them together,” the group said. “Both governments view US influence and the spread of liberal democracy as direct challenges to their political models and regional if not global ambitions. Their partnership is therefore not just pragmatic, but also strategic.”
Tuesday’s readout listed a series of vague outcomes from the meeting, which comes a month before Trump isin Beijing and as the US becomes increasingly mired in the Middle East war it started. These included an exchange of “in-depth views on international and regional issues of common concern”, the need to promote their “bilateral strategic partnership of coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields” and to “enhance cooperation under multilateral frameworks”.But the two envoys celebrated strong China-Russia relations under Xi and Putin that remain “firm”, anchored by “strong and resilient” cooperation, the readouts noted. China cited a series of anniversaries that the two envoys also mentioned in their meeting, including the 30th year since a China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination was forged, the 25th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation signing and the first year ofNot to be left out was the 25th anniversary of the start of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and a call to “maintain the momentum of unity” amongLavrov, for his part, called on the two nations to continue coordinating and cooperating in global and regional affairs, safeguard their respective national interests, and jointly maintain the security and stability of the international system.
Russia-China Relations Iran War Diplomacy Taiwan Tensions US Foreign Policy Xi Jinping-Putin Meeting Geopolitical Hotspots China-Russia Economic Ties International Stability Regional Cooperation US-Led Global Order
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