"The year 2021 is a year of special importance for China-Russia relations, as both countries will enter a new development stage. In developing China-Russia strategic cooperation, we see no limit, no forbidden zone and no ceiling to how far this cooperation can go", the minister said in an interview with the Xinhua news agency and China Media Group.
According to Wang, the development of the bilateral relationship has been guided by the leaders of the two states, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who during the past year had spoken five times over the phone and exchanged correspondence on multiple occasions.
"Being each other's strategic anchor, diplomatic priority, development opportunity and global partner, the two countries will expand and deepen cooperation from a higher starting point. Together, China and Russia will continue to be the example of good-neighbourly and friendly relations between major countries, add impetus to global recovery, and underpin global strategic stability," the minister said.
In 2020, the Chinese-Russian relations reached "a historic high in all respects" despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus, Wang stated. The minister endorsed the bilateral cooperated around the pandemic, including in the development of vaccines, emphasizing that Russia was the first country to send medical aid to China when COVID-19 broke out.
