MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. The current relationship between Russia and China is far more durable and reliable when compared to any Cold War-era military alliance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opined at his annual news conference devoted to reviewing Moscow’s main foreign policy achievements in 2023.

"The Russia-China relationship, as our leaders have repeatedly stressed, is going through its best period ever. <…> These relations are more durable, reliable and advanced than any military alliance within the old framework of the Cold War era," the top diplomat said.

This "reflects how things really stand," the Russian foreign minister emphasized, citing as an example last year’s bilateral trade figures, which easily topped the $200 bln mark.

"And this trend will keep evolving," Lavrov said, pledging efforts toward transitioning to such mechanisms in trade and investment cooperation with China "that will not be subject to any Western influence," with the share of the ruble and the yuan in bilateral trade settlements already hovering around 90%.