Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

Chinese, Russian FMs exchange views on US-Iran conflict, situation in Asia-Pacific region, Ukraine crisis, other issues

China

China

China

Chinese, Russian FMs exchange views on US-Iran conflict, situation in Asia-Pacific region, Ukraine crisis, other issues

2026-04-14 22:57 Last Updated At:04-15 02:27

Chinese and Russian foreign ministers on Tuesday compared notes on the preparations for the meeting between the two heads of state within the year, and exchanged in-depth views on international and regional issues of common concern, including U.S.-Iran conflict, the situation in the Asia-Pacific, and the crisis in Ukraine.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing, saying that 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.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that facing a complex and volatile external environment, under the personal care and strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Russia relations have stood firm, and cooperation in various fields has remained strong and resilient.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, said Wang, adding that this year also marks the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period.

He said that China and Russia should implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and promote the bilateral strategic partnership of coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields to a higher level.

Both sides should enhance cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, said Wang, adding that taking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an opportunity, the two sides should implement the consensus reached at the Tianjin Summit and support Kyrgyzstan in hosting this year's summit successfully.

The two countries should jointly maintain the momentum of unity among BRICS countries and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South, he added.

Wang called on the two sides to continue to maintain strategic coordination on major international and regional issues, join hands to practice multilateralism and international morality, and jointly advance the process of world multi-polarization.

For his part, Lavrov said Russia is willing to work with China to maintain close high-level exchanges, deepen practical cooperation and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

The current international situation is facing severe challenges, and some countries are attempting to form "small circles" to contain Russia and China, said Lavrov.

Lavrov called on both sides to align well with the series of global initiatives proposed by the Chinese side and the vision of the Greater Eurasian Partnership and the Eurasian security architecture proposed by the Russian side, maintain coordination and cooperation on the multilateral platform and in international and regional affairs, safeguard their respective national interests, and jointly maintain the security and stability of the international system.

After their talks, the two sides jointly signed the 2026 consultation plan of the foreign ministries of the two countries.

Chinese, Russian FMs exchange views on US-Iran conflict, situation in Asia-Pacific region, Ukraine crisis, other issues

Chinese, Russian FMs exchange views on US-Iran conflict, situation in Asia-Pacific region, Ukraine crisis, other issues

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its global economic growth forecasts for 2026 to 3.1 percent in the World Economic Outlook (WEO) report published on Tuesday, while keeping its projection for 2027 at 3.2 percent.

This marks a deceleration from the estimated 3.4 percent growth achieved in 2025. Before the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, the bottom-up forecasts for global growth would have been 3.4 percent in 2026 and 3.2 percent in 2027.

The forecast incorporates the impact of the war and assumes that it will be limited in duration, intensity and scope, with disruptions fading by mid-2026.

Under the reference forecast, global headline inflation is expected to increase to 4.4 percent in 2026 and decline to 3.7 percent in 2027.

If the conflict and the ensuing spike in oil prices last longer, global economic growth in 2026 will fall to 2.5 percent, while global inflation will climb to 5.4 percent, according to the report.

In extreme cases, global economic growth in 2026 could drop to two percent, the report warned.

To be specific, the U.S. economy is projected to grow by 2.3 percent in 2026 and 2.1 percent in 2027, although higher trade barriers introduced since April 2025 are expected to continue to weigh on activity.

In the euro area, growth is projected to decline from 1.4 percent in 2025 to 1.1 percent in 2026 before edging up to 1.2 percent in 2027. The forecasts for 2026 and 2027 are each 0.2 percentage point lower than those compared in the January 2026 WEO Update.

The 2026 growth forecast for emerging market and developing economies is revised down by 0.3 percentage point, to 3.9 percent, while the outlook for advanced economies remains broadly unchanged. With risks still tilted to the downside since the January 2026 WEO Update, the IMF suggested a comprehensive policy package combining domestic measures with coordinated international actions to strengthen resilience and foster adaptability.

It also stated in the report that "trade restrictions play a limited role in correcting imbalances but can worsen output," and urged countries to cooperate and take coordinated actions to restore stability to international economic relations.

IMF lowers global growth forecast for 2026 to 3.1 pct

IMF lowers global growth forecast for 2026 to 3.1 pct

Recommended Articles