China's Foreign Minister Wang meets Russian counterpart Lavrov in Beijing

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Sunday (July 13) in Beijing, ahead of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) foreign ministers in China, Reuters reports.

Wang and Lavrov discussed their relations with the United States and the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Putin has sometimes described China as an "ally."

The U.S. casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat.