BEIJING, July 12. /TASS/. The current ties between Moscow and Beijing effectively outclass the outdated Cold War-style model of a military-political alliance, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday.

Asked by a TASS reporter to comment on NATO’s Vilnius Summit Communique, which stated that the deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia runs counter to the bloc’s interests, Wang said: "Relations between China and Russia are based on the principles of non-alignment and non-confrontation, and are not targeted against any third countries." "The relationship between the two countries has outclassed the model of a military-political alliance left over from the Cold War era," the Chinese diplomat added, saying that this bilateral relationship differed fundamentally from the North Atlantic Alliance, which, he said, focuses on creating exclusive closed circles while promoting bloc-based confrontation.

The 31 NATO allies issued a communique on Tuesday in Vilnius, as they wrapped up the first day of their annual summit in the Lithuanian capital. According to the document, China’s "ambitions and coercive policies" challenge the alliance’s interests, security and values. The communique also states that the European Union and NATO will continue to address what it said were systemic challenges posed by China to Euro-Atlantic security.