Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper that Beijing and Moscow need to deepen their strategic cooperation in order to resist pressure from the United States and the West.
"The United States, together with its Western allies, have been putting pressure on China and Russia on all fronts — in political, economic, military and humanitarian fields, as well as in areas of security, science and technology,” he said.
In addition, the diplomat stressed, Western countries exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction and arbitrarily apply sanctions against government departments, companies and personnel of both Russia and China in an attempt to restrain the development of the two countries.
"In response to such open-ended supremacy and policy of strength, we must continue to deepen strategic back-to-back cooperation and strengthen its practical part in various areas in order to effectively respond to the double containment that the United States and the West have been practicing," the ambassador said.
On December 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a video conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping, called the relations between Russia and China a real example of cooperation in the 21st century. Xi Jinping, in turn, pointed out that the Russian-Chinese relationship during the period of great changes in the world showed strong vitality and withstood various trials.
The West constantly accuses Russia and China of attempts to rewrite the world order. In particular, British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss called on the G7 countries to work together to protect democracies and human rights. According to her, Western democracies should take a stand against aggressors — Russia and China in the first place.