China's ambassador calls declaration of "no limit friendship" with Russia "nothing but rhetoric"

Fu Cong, China’s Ambassador to the EU, said that statements about "no limits to friendship" between China and Russian are "nothing but rhetoric". 

Source: The New York Times citing Fu Cong’s interview; RBC, citing the statement of Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation

Details: Fu Cong said China was not on Russia’s side in the war and that some people deliberately misinterpreted the declaration about ‘no limit friendship’ between China and Russia, signed on the eve of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to him, as quoted by the NYT, the ties between the countries may not be as limitless as their leaders once claimed.

"‘No limit’ is nothing but rhetoric," Fu Cong emphasised. 

Beijing has not condemned the invasion, he said, because it understood Russia’s claims about a defensive war against NATO encroachment, and because his government believes "the root causes are more complicated" than Western leaders say.

Fu Cong insisted the lack of a call was of no great importance, that Mr. Xi was very busy, and that there were frequent lower-level contacts between the two countries. 

"I know people are focused on the presidential call. The fact that President Xi is not speaking to Zelenskyy does not signify that China is on the side of Russia on the Ukrainian issue," Fu Cong added. 

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, commenting on his words, said that the Kremlin was focused on the "content and spirit of the contacts" that took place between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in Moscow, and they "fully cover the entire range of issues that are on the joint agenda daytime".

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