Beijing: China on Thursday said its close ties with Russia has a strong internal driving force and any attempt by the US to sow discord between the two strategic allies is doomed to fail.
“China and Russia are two major countries. Our bilateral relationship has a strong internal driving force. It will not be affected by any third party,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing here.
Lin was reacting to the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks that the Beijing-Moscow alliance could pose problems for America.
Speaking to US outlet Breitbart News on Tuesday, Rubio said a Russia that was a “permanent junior partner” to China would pose a problem for the United States, with “two nuclear powers aligned against” it.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever be successful completely at peeling them off… a relationship with the Chinese,” Rubio said, while calling Russians “increasingly dependent on the Chinese.”
Rubio was responding to a question on whether US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine were similar to then president Richard Nixon’s famous trip to China in 1972 – aimed at undermining Cold War adversary the Soviet Union and creating distance between Moscow and Beijing.
However, it would not be good for China and Russia to be at loggerheads either, Rubio said, the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.
“I also don’t think having China and Russia at each other’s neck is good for global stability because they’re both nuclear powers,” Rubio said.
“But I do think we’re in a situation now where the Russians have become increasingly dependent on the Chinese and that’s not a good outcome either if you think about it,” Rubio said.
Frowning at Rubio’s remarks, Lin said both China and Russia have long-term development strategies and foreign policies.
“No matter how the international landscape changes, our relationship shall move forward at its own pace. The US attempt of sowing discord between China and Russia is doomed to fail,” he said.
Observers say Russia, China close ties fostered by President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping were the result of tough policies against Russia pursued by former US Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Their relations got stronger after Putin invaded Ukraine. Though China has not overtly backed Russia, it has not made any strong attempt to stop the war, while, on the other hand, Xi has affirmed “no limits” partnership between Russia and China.
“Our bilateral relationship has a strong internal driving force and unique strategic value. It is neither targeted at any third party nor affected by any third party,” Xi told Putin during a phone call on February 24.
Xi spoke to Putin amid attempts by Trump to warm up to the Russian leader while pressuring the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach an agreement to end the war with Moscow, which created ripples in Beijing.
Putin sought to allay Beijing’s concerns telling Xi that developing relations with China is a strategic choice made by Russia with a view to the long term; it is not an act of expediency, not affected by any temporary incidents, and not subject to interference by external factors, according to the readout by Chinese Foreign Ministry on Xi-Putin talks.
Putin has provided an update on the latest interactions between Russia and the United States, and on Russia’s principled position on the Ukraine crisis, the read out said.
Commenting on China-Russia relations, Feng Zhongping, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of European Studies, said there was “no reason” and it was “not rational” for Moscow to think of distancing itself from Beijing as ties become warmer with the US.
The wise move for Russia would be to “normalise relations with the US, with Europe if possible,” but mainly to “normalise its relations with the US” while maintaining close ties with Beijing, Feng was quoted by the Post as saying. “This would put Moscow in the best situation.”
“Distancing [itself] from Beijing does not serve Russia’s interest at all,” he added, calling ties between the two “very healthy [and] robust”.
