The relationship between China and Russia is based on the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday.

He made the remarks at a press conference held on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing.

Qin said the China-Russia relationship is not a threat to any country, nor is it subject to any interference or discord sown by any third party. 

Noting that China and Russia have found a path of major-country relations featuring strategic trust and good neighborliness, Qin said their relationship has set a good example for a new type of international relations. 

With China and Russia working together, the world will have the driving force toward multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations, and global strategic balance and stability will be better ensured, Qin said. 

The more unstable the world becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations, he added. 

As for what currency will be used in Sino-Russian trade, Qin said whichever currencies, efficient, safe and credible, should be used, adding that currencies should not be trump cards for unilateral sanctions, still less a disguise for bullying or coercion. 

(Cover: Flags of Russia and China are seen during a meeting between China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang and Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Lavrov at the Presidential Palace on the sidelines of the 2023 G20 India Summit, March 2, 2023. /CFP)