"China and Russia must resist foreign interference in their internal affairs".
Chinese President Xi Jinping said these words to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during a phone call.
"Xi stressed that the two countries should cooperate closely in strategic terms, safeguard the sovereignty, security and development interests of their countries, and resolutely oppose the interference of external forces in their internal affairs," Chinese state media reported.
"Ties between China and Russia are at an unprecedented high level," Putin said in turn.
Beijing has drawn criticism from Ukraine's allies over its stance on the war, on which China insists it is neutral but in fact provides unstinting diplomatic support to Russia.
China itself has been condemned, particularly by the US, on a number of pressing issues, including its increasingly belligerent behavior towards self-governing democratic Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
"During the discussion of the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian president reaffirmed his principled position on the Taiwan issue, which supports the 'one China' policy," the Kremlin press service said.
"China and Russia have weathered many storms together. Looking ahead, Sino-Russian relations face new opportunities for development," Xi Jinping said. / BGNES
