China defends growing ties with Russia

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has defended the expansion of ties with Russia amid growing Western unilateralism. He said Thursday that China-Russia relations have stood the test of time despite the challenging international landscape.

"That's because China-Russia relations have solid political, economic and cultural foundations and are blessed with the calm and sobriety that come from a keen understanding of historical experience," he told reporters in Beijing. Wang said Beijing and Moscow are trying to strengthen ties and remain committed to building a "multipolar" world.

"China and Russia advocate and practice genuine multilateralism, reject all forms of unilateralism and bullying, uphold our respective sovereignty, security and development interests, actively explore development paths that suit our respective national conditions, and unlock the potential for cooperation in various fields. " he said.

"More importantly, the multipolar world and more democracy in international relations that China and Russia jointly support are in line with the trend of the times and the aspirations of most countries." The spokesman said the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is aimed neither on third parties nor does it tolerate interference or coercion by third parties.

"Regardless of how the international landscape may change, China will maintain solid momentum in building a new type of relationship between major countries and Russia. China is willing to work with Russia to maintain strategic resolve, deepen political trust, strengthen strategic coordination, expand practical cooperation, uphold the legitimate interests of both countries, and the constructive role of both countries in promoting world peace and of development."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Wang dismissed claims by the United States that China was considering arming Russia in the war with Ukraine. The US has repeatedly claimed that China could supply arms to Russia, and we have responded to this on numerous occasions, he said. We can easily imagine that the "intelligence agencies" referred to by the US are most likely shadow chasing and slandering China, he said.

“Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, China has stood firmly on the side of dialogue and peace. We have promoted peace talks in our own way and played a responsible and constructive role in defusing tensions and alleviating the crisis. The US is the largest source of arms for the battlefield in Ukraine, but they have repeatedly slandered China by falsely claiming that China could offer arms to Russia,” he said.

“Not only will this hamper the process of political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, but it will further damage China-US relations. We call on the US to stop slandering and blaming China, and stop fanning the flames and adding more weapons to the fight. The US must work with China and the rest of the world to promote diplomatic negotiations to resolve the crisis.”