Beijing's cooperation with Europe is 'endless'
China’s cooperation with Europe and other nations is "endless", just as its ties with Russia are "unlimited", Beijing's envoy to the European Union said. Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassador to the EU, made the remarks in an interview with mainland news outlet, The Paper, which was published after China’s ambassador to France was criticised by European countries for his comments on post-Soviet states. During an interview with French television on Friday, ambassador Lu Shaye suggested countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union "don't have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations". The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday described Lu’s remarks as “unacceptable”, adding that he hoped the comments did not reflect Beijing's official stance. The publication of ambassador Fu Cong’s interview also comes as various EU diplomats criticised Beijing for not calling for a Russian withdrawal, noting that Beijing and Moscow declared a "no limits" partnership just days before Russian troops attacked Ukraine. "The European side should correctly understand the reference to 'no upper limit'," Fu told the newspaper.  "Friendship and cooperation among countries are endless and should not be artificially limited. Sino-Russian cooperation is ‘unlimited’, and the same is true for China and Europe." Fu also warned against "attempts" to use Sino-Russian relations to sow discord between China and Europe, rejecting talk that China had "prior knowledge" of the Ukraine conflict or has been supplying weapons. (Reuters/AFP)