China intensifies rhetorical support and exalts relationship with Russia: ‘New model’ for the world

Chinese Foreign Ministry says ties between countries surpasses Cold War-era political and military alliance

Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik / AFP
Putin and Xi Jinping met in February before the Winter Olympics

In a tense week in the confrontation between Russia and Ukrainein the face of threats from Vladimir Putin and the decision of the West to send new weapons so that the Eastern European country can defend itself, China, which has already shown itself to be on the side of the Russians, but which has also been neutral in the conflict, has intensified its rhetorical support for Russia. “An important takeaway from the success of China-Russia relations is that both sides move beyond the era of political and military alliance model of Cold War,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a press conference.

This position is a constant criticism of US cooperation with blocs such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). According to him, Moscow and Beijing “commit to developing a new model of international relations”. That model involves not causing confrontation or targeting other nations, Zhao said at a briefing on Friday in Beijing. “This is fundamentally different from the Cold War mentality behind some countries’ efforts for cliques and zero-sum games,” he declared. Despite the Chinese statements, there is no evidence that they ever helped Russia militarily, however rhetorical in repeating Russian conspiracy theories.