China’s foreign minister holds talks in Russia after meeting with US national security adviser

MOSCOW (AP) — China’s top diplomat is in Russia for security talks after two days of meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser over the weekend in Malta. Foreign Minister Wang Yi began talks Monday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and will meet other Russian officials during his visit that will last through Thursday. The U.S. and China are at odds over Russia’s military action in Ukraine. China has refrained from taking sides in the conflict, saying that while a country’s territory must be respected, the West needs to consider Russia’s security concerns about NATO expansion. Wang opened his talks with Lavrov by hailing the “strategic cooperation” between the two countries.