Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday in Beijing, ahead of Lavrov’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Council session in Tianjin.
The meeting served as preparation for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming state visit to China in September. During the talks, Xi pledged to pursue a “deeper partnership” with Russia, reinforcing an already expanding strategic alliance between the two powers.
Lavrov also held a meeting on Monday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who described Sino-Russian relations as “the most stable, mature, and strategically valuable major-country relationship in the world.”
These remarks come just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a threat to impose 100% tariffs on nations continuing to trade with Russia—specifically naming China—unless Moscow agrees to a ceasefire in Ukraine on U.S. terms within 50 days.
The warm reception Lavrov received, coupled with Xi’s remarks, signals that Beijing is unlikely to scale back its cooperation with Moscow and may be calling Trump’s bluff on the threatened economic penalties.
Lavrov dismissed the ultimatum during a press conference on Tuesday, stating, “Certainly, we would like to understand what is behind this statement about 50 days. Earlier, there were also the deadlines of 24 hours and of 100 days—we have seen it all and really would like to understand the motivation of the U.S. president.”
Lavrov was referencing campaign promises made by Trump last year, in which he pledged to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours and bring the conflict to a conclusion within the first 100 days of his presidency.
He added that Russia is prepared to withstand further sanctions from Washington, just as it has managed past rounds of economic pressure.
While Trump currently retains authority over the implementation of new sanctions or tariffs, pressure is mounting from Congress. A bill introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham that would impose 500% tariffs on Chinese goods and other Russian trading partners has been temporarily paused. However, if Trump does not act within the proposed 50-day window, lawmakers may push the bill forward, potentially stripping Trump of unilateral control over the U.S. economic response to Russia's war in Ukraine.