SHANGHAI, April 24. /TASS/. Europe should properly assess relations between China and Russia and be vigilant not to succumb to provocations, Fu Cong, the head of the Chinese mission to the EU, said in an interview with the Paper (Pengpai News outlet).

"First of all, the European side should properly assess China-Russia relations. China and Russia are each other's largest neighbors. The development of long-term good-neighborly and friendly relations between the two countries is in line with history and current logic, the interests of the peoples of both sides and the expectations of the international community. China-Russia relations meet the principles of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties as well as mutual respect and trust," the diplomat said, adding that Beijing and Moscow are also setting a model for a new type of relations between major powers. According to him, the recent visit of the Chinese president has further strengthened these relations.

Fu Cong also pointed out that the European side must properly understand what "boundless" friendship between Russia and China means. "China has always advocated the development of friendly and cooperative relations with other countries based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence. We have also always believed that friendship and cooperation between countries is infinite and should not be artificially limited. China-Russia cooperation is 'boundless,' and the same is true for China and Europe," the diplomat said.

"At the same time, we must also be vigilant against attempts to use China-Russia relations to carry out provocations between China and the EU," he pointed out.

On March 20 to 22, Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia, his first since his re-election as Chinese President. On the first day of the visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese leader had a one-on-one conversation that lasted about 4.5 hours, and on the second day Xi Jinping held talks in the Kremlin in various formats for about six hours. At the end of the talks, the two leaders signed two statements. Putin and Xi Jinping called the meeting a success.