China will advance strategic partnership with Russia at deeper levels: Foreign Ministry

China's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying says Beijing would further advance comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia at deeper levels amid heightened tensions with the United States.

"China is ready to work with Russia to follow through on the consensus of the two heads of state, and take the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation as an opportunity to carry forward the spirit of the treaty and advance China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era at greater scope, in wider areas and at deeper levels," Hua said at a regular press conference in Beijing on Monday ahead of a planned two-day visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to China.

Speaking to media outlets in an online interview, Lavrov said the priority for Moscow and Beijing was to strengthen “high-level” coordination and jointly promoting the development of a multipolar world and coordination on regional integration.

He added that global situation is undergoing profound changes, with new centers of economic, financial and political influence growing stronger.

Lavrov said Washington and its Western allies are no longer capable of using classical diplomacy, so they resort to sanctions on the international arena, adding, “They are promoting their ideologized agenda aimed at maintaining their dominance by holding back the development of other countries.”

Lavrov emphasized that Russia and China need to work to further reduce their dependence on US dollar and switch to national currencies for trade in order to alleviate the risks of US sanctions.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, "Lavrov's remarks are right to the point. The more unstable the world is, the more China and Russia need to advance our cooperation."

"For a long period, the US and the West wantonly interfered in other country's domestic affairs by using democracy and human rights as an excuse. Such moves created troubles in the world and even became the source of instability and war," the spokeswoman added.

She said both Beijing and Moscow have always stood together in close cooperation to resolutely oppose hegemony and bullying practice in the world and have become a major force for international peace and stability.

Pointing to "remarkable outcomes" achieved in the past year, under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, on comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries, she said, "In the face of once-in-a-century epidemic and changes, China and Russia stand in solidarity to fight the virus together, and advance cooperation in such areas as economy, trade and scientific innovation despite challenges."

Hua said the two sides have firmly supported each other on issues concerning their core interests and jointly defended international fairness and justice.

Mutual relationship has stood the test of challenges and delivered more tangible results, and friendship has grown even stronger, she said.

The spokeswoman emphasized that Lavrov's ongoing visit to China "will further cement the sound momentum of the high-level bilateral relations and bring the two countries closer in the strategic collaboration on international affairs."

"The two sides will join hands in building a model of international relations featuring strategic trust, mutually beneficial cooperation, close people-to-people ties, fairness and justice. Together, the two sides can make greater contribution to upholding world peace and stability," she pointed out.

In an interview with Xinhua news agency and other state media outlets in January, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed strong determination to continue strategic ties with Russia in the year ahead, saying Beijing sees “no limit” as to how far the cooperation between the two sides can reach.

“In developing China-Russia strategic cooperation, we see no limit, no forbidden zone and no ceiling to how far this cooperation can go,” he added.

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