Long Yongtu, former deputy minister of foreign trade and economic cooperation, said at a Beijing forum that China “should adopt some aggressive measures” as the ruble has nosedived about 60% against the US dollar since the beginning of the year. “When Russia is facing massive difficulties, (China should) show moral strength and economic support,” he said according to a report by China News Service.
Beijing is obligated to help its northern neighbor both from a strategic perspective and out of concern for the wellbeing of the Russian people, he said without elaborating on any specific measures.
On a new round of sanctions that the US and other countries are preparing to take against Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict, Long decried trying to solve political disputes through economic sanctions, cautioning that the result of doing so means everyone will suffer.
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The two countries established a strategic and cooperative partnership in 1996, which in 2013 then-president Hu Jintao upgraded to an “all-encompassing one” that now sits at the head of all bilateral partnerships China has fostered.
Full article: China won’t sit by idly if Russian economy collapses: ex-official (Want China Times)
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