China says it 'cherishes' its ties with Eastern European country of Moldova

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told visiting Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popsoi that Beijing "cherishes" ties with the Eastern European country and aims to deepen them, a statement on Friday said, despite differences over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Popsoi's Thursday meeting with China's top diplomat came on the heels of a pomp-filled 24-hour visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin for a summit with President Xi Jinping, where the two agreed to increase coordination and mutual support.

"The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis," read the last line of a Chinese foreign ministry readout of the meeting. Popsoi is on the first visit by a Moldovan foreign minister to China in nearly eight years.

Beijing has not condemned Russia's attacks on Ukraine or described them as an invasion, but has called for a "political settlement", a position Wang reiterated in his meeting with Popsoi, according to the statement.

Moldova, which borders Ukraine, has strongly condemned Russia's invasion and has long been at odds with Moscow over the separatist, pro‑Russian Transdniestria region, which broke away while the country was still part of the Soviet Union.

A Russian military contingent of some 1,500 troops, which Moscow sometimes describes ​as peacekeepers, separates the two sides and the enclave receives substantial Russian assistance.

Moldova's ​government, which seeks to join the European Union by 2030, sees the ⁠enclave and the military presence as a means of Moscow exerting influence over ​its affairs.

"Wang said China cherishes the traditional friendship between the two countries, and stands ready to work with Moldova to further cement mutual trust," the statement from his ministry said.

-Xiuhao Chen and Joe Cash/Reuters