China and Russia don’t need a military alliance, says Moscow’s ambassador
- Vladimir Putin has previously said he would not rule out the idea ‘in principle’
- Ambassador Andrey Denisov says the Russian leader’s comments implied that things had gone beyond a traditional alliance in many ways
China and Russia do not need to establish a military alliance because their relationship is strong enough already, the Russian ambassador to Beijing has said.
“Russian-Chinese cooperation has gone beyond a traditional alliance in many areas,” Russian ambassador Andrey Denisov said at the embassy on Tuesday.
It was the first time a Russian leader had made such a suggestion since the pact between Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong collapsed in acrimony.
Denisov said: “I think the remarks by President Putin implied that our cooperation has gone beyond the traditional alliance and that further moves could be made if necessary, but the relationship is already good enough.”
The two sides have been drawing closer in recent years as both saw their relationship with the United States deteriorate, but the ambassador said an alliance would not fit with their model for bilateral cooperation that “does not target any third party”.