China's friendship with Russia has reached new heights, according to top Chinese officials. Apropos of nothing at all, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi declared on March 8 that relations with Russia had reached “a historic maximum.”
“China-Russia relations are stronger
than they have ever been,” Yi was quoted as saying in the Shanghai
Daily newspaper. He refuted claims that Beijing-Moscow ties were based on some “external
factors,” such as tensions with the United States, but shared mutual interests.
Yi said that several meetings between
senior Russian and Chinese officials, including Vladimir Putin and Xi
Jinping, were planned in 2017. These meetings will only deepen the two countries' level of bilateral engagement, he said.
The minister also stressed that the power duo needed to engage and
cooperate with the United States In January, Jinping announced that China
wanted to adopt a new relationship model with the United States and a
strategic partnership with Russia.
