China defends growing ties with Russia to counter Western 'bullying'

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has defended expanding relations with Russia against the backdrop of growing Western unilateralism.

He said on Thursday that despite the challenging international landscape, the China-Russia relations have stood the test of time.

“This is because China-Russia relations have enjoyed a solid political, economic and cultural foundation and been blessed with the calm and soberness that stem from a keen grasp of historical experience,” he told reporters in Beijing. 

Wang said Beijing and Moscow were seeking to strengthen relations and remain committed to building a “multipolar” world.

“China and Russia advocate and practice true multilateralism, oppose all forms of unilateralism and bullying, firmly safeguard our respective sovereignty, security and development interests, actively explore development paths suited to our respective national conditions, and tap the cooperation potential in various fields," he said.

“More importantly, this is because the multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations, which 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 neither targets any third party nor does it tolerate any interference or coercion by any third party.

“No matter how the international landscape may change, China will maintain a sound momentum in growing a new type of major-country relations with Russia. China is willing to work with Russia to maintain strategic resolve, deepen political trust, strengthen strategic coordination, expand practical cooperation, safeguard the legitimate interests of both countries and play both countries’ constructive role in promoting world peace and development.”

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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 alleged that China might supply weapons to Russia and, he said, we have responded to this multiple times. We can easily imagine that the “intelligence” the US referred to is most likely chasing shadows and smearing China, he said.

“Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, China has firmly stood on the side of dialogue and peace. We have promoted peace talks in our own ways and played a responsible and constructive role in easing tensions and alleviating the crisis. The US is the biggest source of weaponry for the battlefield in Ukraine, yet it has kept smearing China by falsely claiming that China might offer weapons to Russia,” he said.

“This will not only hinder the process of the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis but also do further harm to China-US relations. We urge the US to stop smearing China and shifting blames, and stop fanning the flame and fueling the fight with more weaponry. The US needs to work with China and the rest of the world to promote diplomatic negotiations with a view to settling the crisis.”

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