China, Russia's ties show 'strong resilience', 'strategic resolve': Wang Yi

China will also support all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis, Wang told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Bali, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday, quoted by Reuters. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will use the gathering -- which is a prelude to a leaders' summit in November -- to lobby allies that have been at odds with its position on Ukraine, such as India, to pull away from Moscow.  But his hopes of a united Western front against Russian aggression were dealt a blow after British Foreign Minister Liz Truss pulled out of the meeting at the last minute, according to a diplomat. Truss would not attend talks with her counterparts on Friday and will instead be replaced by a senior British official, the diplomat told AFP, without specifying when she would be leaving Bali. Truss cut her trip short after Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned as the leader of his Conservative party on Thursday, with British media reporting she would fly home early to rally support for a leadership bid. Beijing has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for the Kremlin by blasting Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv.  Blinken is expected to reiterate warnings to Beijing about its support for Russia at Saturday's talks with Wang. China pursues an independent foreign policy toward Russia and both reject interference from what they have called "third parties". A meeting between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in February ended with the pair declaring a "new era" of international relations with "no limits" to their relationship.  Xi assured Putin of China's support for Russian "sovereignty and security" in a phone call last month. The United States swiftly weighed in, condemning China for "investing in close ties to Russia" despite claiming to be neutral.