Sino-Russian relations as solid as rock: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era has grown as solid as a rock through thick and thin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.

Zhao made the remarks when asked to comment on Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's remarks on bilateral relations.

According to reports, in response to a question on whether Moscow and Beijing would strike an alliance against the United States, Lavrov said in an interview that Moscow and Beijing are satisfied with the existing format of cooperation at this stage. He said bilateral relations with China are better than ever, largely due to the fact that the existing model of bilateral relations surpasses the level of interaction within alliances formed in the Cold War era.

"We appreciate Foreign Minister Lavrov's positive remarks," Zhao said.

China-Russia relations have withstood the test of changing international landscape and become the stabilizing force for the world today because the two sides always adhere to the principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting at any third party, he said.

He said the two countries always respect each other's core interests and accommodate respective reasonable concerns, always shoulder their responsibility, uphold justice and firmly maintain the UN-centered international system and international order based on international law.

"China stands ready to work with Russia and the international community to continue to support and practice true multilateralism, make international relations more democratic, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation among countries, and inject new impetus and stabilizing elements to world peace and development," Zhao said.