MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. Russia-China relations are a 'citadel of truth' and are not influenced by political 'viruses', Chinese envoy to Russia Zhang Hanhui told TASS in an interview.

"Unlike other Western countries, which through the mouths of their politicians were in every way engaged in politicizing the fight against the pandemic and discrediting our painstaking efforts, our countries (China and Russia - TASS) together opposed ‘political viruses’ and threats coming from world hegemons, stood guard over the authority of the WHO (World Health Organization), through trust and cooperation built a citadel of truth, which is unaffected by any lies," he said.

The diplomat pointed out that the lifting of a number of anti-COVID restrictive measures in China opened up prospects for a new round of bilateral cooperation "based on the principles of mutual assistance and win-win." "As partners in comprehensive strategic interaction in a new era and friendly neighbors, ever since the beginning of the pandemic China and Russia have consistently adhered to the spirit of mutual aid and mutual assistance inherent in bilateral relations in a new era, fighting the common enemy hand in hand," the Chinese diplomat noted.

Zhang Hanhui pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin was among the first major power leaders to express support for the Chinese side in the fight against the pandemic, "and Russia was the first country to send a team of experts to China to fight the epidemic." "At the most difficult moment for us, Russia delivered aid in the form of medical supplies to Wuhan. China, in turn, sent medical teams to Russia at the peak of the pandemic and provided material support to fight the coronavirus more than once," he explained.

According to the diplomat, air service between Russia and China and cross-border transportation of goods through border checkpoints has never been interrupted. The two sides have strengthened cooperation in such areas as medicine and health care, prevention and control of coronavirus infection, drug and vaccine development, "which has added up to joint efforts to build a community of one health fate for humanity."

"All of the abovementioned examples of mutual assistance, which will be handed down from generation to generation as a symbol of eternal friendship, have left an indelible mark in the hearts of the citizens of our countries and have taken a firm place in the history of the development of China-Russia relations," the envoy concluded.