Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko flew to Beijing for talks with China on “international” issues, amid a major challenge by Russian mercenaries to President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.
Rudenko met with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sunday and discussed Sino-Russian relations as well as “international and regional issues of common concern”, according to China’s foreign ministry.
It was unclear when Rudenko arrived in Beijing, or whether his visit to China, a key ally of Russia, was in response to the apparent rebellion by heavily armed mercenaries on Friday.
China has yet to publicly comment on the rebellion that Putin said threatened Russia’s very existence. Western leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden said they were closely monitoring the situation.
The rebellion was led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a notorious businessman and former chef of Putin who runs the Wagner Group, a private military company that has been involved in conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Libya and other countries.
Prigozhin said his “march” on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin’s mercenary army has since halted its advance in a move Prigozhin said would avoid bloodshed.
The rebellion has been closely followed by Chinese media which has refrained from comment ahead of any official remarks, whereas many Chinese citizens have spoken up in support of Putin on social media.
“China will support Russia while stressing no interference of its internal affairs,” prominent Chinese military expert and TV commentator Song Zhongping told Reuters.
To Song, the rebellion has ended. “Prigozhin realises that it is difficult to achieve the desired results through this rebellion,” Song said.