Russia and China have agreed to automatically extend the Treaty on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation for another five-year term. This was announced on Tuesday, March 23, by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, quoted by RIA Novosti.
The Chinese minister noted, opening talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, that over the past 20 years, the treaty has laid a solid legal foundation for “healthy, sustainable development of Russian-Chinese relations.”
“We have agreed on the automatic extension of this agreement, and we must constantly give this agreement new content, taking into account the realities of the era, so that it adapts to the new conditions of Russian-Chinese relations. I think that this agreement will certainly help us to reach new agreements and give a new impetus to the development of relations, “said Wang Yi.
According to him, in recent days, “a handful of European forces” have come out on the international arena with accusations against China and Russia. The minister called it attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the countries.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during an official visit to China, put on a protective mask with an inscription in English FCKNG QRNTN (“damn quarantine”).
The Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on July 16, 2001 and ratified on February 28, 2002. The agreement provides for an automatic extension for a five-year period. 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the treaty.
