BEIJING (Sputnik) — China sees its bilateral ties with Russia as one of its priority relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday during the fourth World Peace Forum underway at Beijing's Tsinghua University.
"We respect our separate development paths and forms of governance. We support each other’s efforts to secure our vested interests and respect each other’s concerns," the minister said.
He went on to describe Russian-Chinese cooperation to safeguard international laws and principles enshrined in the UN Charter.
"These principles, which help us maintain our comprehensive strategic partnership and cooperation on a high level, also make these ties one of China’s most important bilateral relations," Yi explained.
After Russia’s relations with the West deteriorated following the start of the 2014 Ukraine crisis, Moscow reenergized it cooperation with Asian partners, mostly China, negotiating gas delivery contracts and intensifying diplomatic ties.
