“China hopes to develop an all-around and broad cooperation with Russia, including in military-technical cooperation, to gradually strengthen practical cooperation of the two states [as well as strengthen] friendly exchanges between the peoples of our countries,” Li told RIA Novosti in an interview.
Li emphasized that Moscow and Beijing “are not planning on creating a military coalition in any form, but military cooperation between the two countries is developing in accordance with the fundamental norms of international law and is not directed at third countries and does not encroach on the interests of third countries."
Moscow has denied providing military assistance to militias in eastern Ukraine, and has condemned NATO for using the conflict to justify an increased presence in Eastern Europe.
The Kremlin refuted claims that it planned to enter into a military alliance with partners in the BRICS club of emerging economies, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in early June that Moscow had no intention to turn BRICS into a military bloc.
