China legislator criticizes sanctions on visit to Russia

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say the country’s top legislator decried sanctions against Russia during a recent visit to the country. The official Xinhua News Agency said Li Zhanshu urged greater cooperation to fight against “external interference, sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, among others,” in a meeting with Russian lawmakers. Li also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ahead of an expected meeting this month between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a regional gathering in Uzbekistan that would mark Xi’s first trip outside China since the pandemic began in early 2020. Xinhua said Russia also backed condemnation of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China threatens to annex by force.