Chinese Ambassador to the European Union Fu Cong said the statement on “unlimited friendship” between China and Russia should be explained as a rhetorical device, reports The New York Times.
“‘Friendship without limits’ is just rhetoric,” he said before meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Chinese side, despite signing a declaration of “boundless friendship” by President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in February 2022, does not support the conduct of a special military operation, does not recognize Crimea as Russian, and does not recognize the legitimacy of the referendums of last autumn, does not plan to provide military support to Russia.
The day before, we learned of the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron in China during a state visit.
Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong called the statement on “unlimited friendship” with Russia a rhetorical device that