China supported Russia in a debate at the United Nations Security Council on October 4 over accountability for the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline explosions in September 2022, SCMP reported.
Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, expressed Beijing's disappointment over the lack of progress in the investigation into the Nord Stream pipeline explosions in the Baltic Sea two years ago.
The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines transporting gas from Russia to Germany were severely damaged on September 26, 2022, after a series of explosions.
Echoing Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya's request for the Security Council session, Geng Shuang called on member states to "actively communicate and cooperate" with Moscow and avoid applying double standards or politicizing the investigation.
"Unfortunately, we have not yet reached a definite conclusion," Xinhua quoted Mr. Canh Shuang as saying.
"Was there any hidden motive behind the initial opposition to the international investigation? Was evidence covered up and destroyed over the past two years? When will the trust and time we have spent on the case be rewarded with the truth about what happened?" Mr. Geng asked.
Representatives from Russia, the United States and France clashed at a Security Council meeting on October 4, with Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya accusing Western countries of covering up the incident, and saying the Nord Stream pipeline could not have been blown up without government support, according to a UN press release.
The Wall Street Journal reported in August that the pipelines were blown up by a small Ukrainian sabotage group in an operation that was initially approved and then canceled by President Volodymyr Zelensky but not in time.
Russia called for an independent investigation into the incident last year but Moscow's proposal - backed by China and Brazil - was blocked at the UN body.
China and Russia have been working to cement their “unlimited” partnership in recent times, as both sides are reportedly preparing for the third meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin since May, scheduled to take place on the sidelines of the BRICS summit from October 22-24 in Kazan, western Russia.
On October 2, President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with President Putin on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to Xinhua, President Xi Jinping said China "stands ready to work with Russia to continuously expand comprehensive pragmatic cooperation between the two countries."
In a message to President Xi Jinping, President Putin affirmed that bilateral relations have reached an all-time high and that "the close, mutually beneficial relations between Russia and China have stood the test of time."
