China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 27 that Beijing denies allegations of helping Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. During their meeting in Laos, Wang Yi also emphasized that China would take “forceful measures” to protect its interests, according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The two diplomats met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). China’s already robust economic, diplomatic, and military ties with Russia have grown stronger since Russia’s all-out war with Ukraine that began in F…