MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. The West fears an economically strong China more than it fears a strong Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Tucker Carlson published on the US journalist’s website.

"The West is afraid of a strong China more than it fears a strong Russia, because Russia has won 150 million people and China has a 1.5 billion population. And its economy is growing by leaps and bounds, or 5% a year. It used to be even more, but that's enough for China," Putin said. He disagreed with Carlson’s assessment that the West feared a strong Russia more than a strong China.

"As [19th century German politician Otto von] Bismarck once put it, potentials are the most important. China's potential is enormous. It is the biggest economy in the world today in terms of purchasing power parity and the size of the economy. It is already overtaking the United States quite a long time ago, and it is growing at a rapid clip. Let's not talk about who is afraid of whom. Let's not reason in such terms," Putin added.