China says must advance relations with Russia as world becomes more turbulent

BEIJING (Reuters) – China must advance its relations with Russia as the world becomes more turbulent, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at an annual parliamentary session in Beijing, Qin said the close interactions between both leaders – President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin – provided the anchor for China-Russia relations.

He did not give a definite answer when asked if Xi would visit Russia after China’s parliament session, which goes on for one more week.

Asked whether it is possible that China and Russia would abandon the U.S. dollar and euro for bilateral trade, Qin said that countries should use whatever currency is efficient, safe and credible.

“Currencies should not be the trump card for unilateral sanctions, still less a disguise for bullying or coercion,” he said.

China, which has refused to name Russia as the aggressor in the Ukraine conflict, has often criticised the United States for bullying other countries with unilateral sanctions.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Writing by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Lincoln Feast.)