Chinese’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and Russia are “friends forever, never enemies” while welcoming the rapprochement between Washington and Moscow.

“The principle of ‘friends forever, never enemies’ … serves as a solid legal basis for advancing strategic cooperation at a higher level,” Wang told Russia’s RIA state news agency in an interview.

Wang is on a three-day visit to Moscow where he is slated to partake in “strategic cooperation talks.” According to the Kremlin, Wang will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.

Wang said current global conditions obliged big powers to act as stabilising factors, which is why he welcomes the thaw between Washington D.C. and Moscow.

“(This) is good for stabilizing the balance of power between major powers and inspires optimism in a disappointing international situation,” RIA cited Wang as saying.

The “disappointing international situation” refers to the internationally-condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine.