MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. Beijing’s initiative regarding the Ukrainian conflict resolution is about eradicating the root causes of the conflict, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held official discussions with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov earlier in the day on the margins of the G20 Ministerial Council meeting in South Africa’s Johannesburg.

"Wang Yi emphasized that by advancing additional initiatives aimed at a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, Beijing deems it essential to eliminate its root causes based on the relevant principles of the UN Charter, as well as the necessity for absolute human rights respect," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the meeting between Yi and Lavrov.

South Africa is holding presidency in the Group of Twenty this year, being the first African country to host G20 events.

Lavrov’s visit to South Africa will take place shortly after the milestone Russian-US talks in Riyadh and the G20 top diplomats are likely to want to learn about them firsthand. According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Lavrov plans to hold a series of bilateral meetings in Johannesburg.

Experts don’t rule out that other Western countries may follow the United States’ lead and ask for a meeting with Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 event. The Russian side has always said that it is ready for dialogue if foreign ministers are interested in it. However, Western officials have been demonstratively avoided meeting with the top Russian diplomat during the past three years.