Overview
- Lavrov, who met Xi in Beijing on Wednesday, said Russia can compensate any resource gap China faces from the conflict and confirmed a Putin visit in the first half of 2026.
- Beijing called the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports dangerous and irresponsible, showing alarm over shipping lanes that carry much of China’s seaborne oil.
- The Russian foreign minister accused the United States and its allies of very dangerous moves in Asia by stoking tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the Korean Peninsula.
- Kpler data show Iran sent more than 80% of its crude exports to China before the war and over half of China’s seaborne oil came from the Middle East, leaving Beijing to tap stockpiles and diversify supplies for now with risks rising if disruptions persist.
- China’s capital hosted a packed week of visits by leaders from the UAE, Spain, and Vietnam, and analysts say higher oil prices now lift Russia’s revenues but raise China’s energy and industrial input costs.