“There is no forbidden zone for Sino-Russian cooperation, but there is a limit not to cross” : this short sentence of Qin Gang, Chinese ambassador in Washington, pronounced during an interview with the Hong Kong channel Phoenix TV, was taken as the title on Thursday March 24 by the very serious Chinese magazine Caixin. “This limit, these are the objectives and principles established by the UN Charter, which are universally recognized as the fundamental norms of international law and international relations” completed the Chinese ambassador.
A month after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, these words sound like a serious downside to the triumphant joint statement on 4 February in Beijing Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, who announced a “new era” international relations and “limitless partnership” between the two countries.
The interview on Phoenix TV was conducted on March 20, two days after the videoconference of