China, Russia Diplomats Meet in Beijing After Wagner Mercenary Uprising

China's foreign minister Qin Gang attends a press conference at Media Center in Beijing on March 7, 2023. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

The Chinese regime has expressed support for Russia to maintain its national stability, Beijing’s foreign ministry said a day after a short-lived mutiny ended in Russia.

A spokesperson of Beijing’s foreign ministry described the armed uprising led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, over the weekend as “Russia’s internal affairs,” in a statement released late on June 25. The spokesperson stated that the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) supports Russia in “maintaining its national stability and achieving development and prosperity.”

The brief comment followed a June 25 meeting in Beijing between Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang and Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko.

The two top diplomats “exchanged views on China–Russia relations as well as international and regional issues of common concern,” without elaborating, according to a readout of the talks from Beijing’s foreign ministry.

The discussion touched on the conflict between the Russian military and the Wagner mercenary group, the Russian foreign ministry said in its readout.

“The Chinese side expressed support for the efforts of the leadership of the Russian Federation to stabilize the situation in the country in connection with the events of June 24 and confirmed its interest in strengthening the cohesion and further prosperity of Russia,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Russian-language statement translated by Reuters.

Prior to the talks with Qin, Rudenko met with China’s vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu earlier on June 25, during which the two sides vowed to strengthen their “solidarity and cooperation,” according to a readout from Beijing. The two senior diplomats pledged to “safeguard the common interests” under the “complex and severe” international situation, it read.

It was unclear when Rudenko arrived in Beijing whether his visit to China was in response to what appeared to be a rebellion led by Prigozhin.

Fighters of the Wagner private mercenary group are seen atop a tank deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. Stringer/Reuters

Members of the Wagner Group mercenary army were ordered back to their bases on June 25 after Prigozhin struck a deal with the Kremlin.

Prigozhin, who has been a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin for some 20 years, had earlier described the move as a “march for justice” to topple Moscow’s military leadership, which he blamed for unnecessary losses of Russian troops.

Lukashenko’s office said on June 24 that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had Putin’s blessing to broker a deal that ended up halting the lightning-fast advance of Wagner forces toward Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that under the deal, Prigozhin would move to Belarus and criminal charges against him in Russia would be dropped.

Wagner fighters who took part in the armed rebellion won’t face any retribution, in recognition of their previous service to Russia.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin make a toast during a dinner at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. Pavel Byrkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

While the rebellion has been closely followed by China’s state media, the outlets have largely refrained from commenting ahead of official remarks.

The Chinese regime earlier made no comment on Moscow’s crisis, while Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, said they were closely monitoring the situation.

The Chinese regime has strengthened its ties with Russia since it declared a “no limits” partnership ahead of the Ukraine war. In March, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the two sides signed a series of agreements furthering the two countries’ “strategic cooperation.”

Beijing’s goal in that meeting, according to geopolitical analysts, was to advance creating a new “international totalitarian order“ led by the communist regime in China.

Tom Ozimek and Reuters contributed to this report.