News Analysis China has reaffirmed its commitment to building positive bilateral relations with Russia. This recent announcement comes at a time when both countries have drawn the ire of Western governments amid heightened political tensions. According to Russian news agency TASS, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated on Jan. 24 that “Chinese-Russian relations are well-developed and stable and any attempts to challenge them are doomed to fail.” Zhao went on to assert that both countries have been dealing with a sustained campaign of negative Western press in the lead-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics. This has ostensibly been carried out in order to cast doubt on the strength of the bilateral relationship. The statement was a direct response to a recent article on the China-Russia relationship by Bloomberg. The piece speculated on a possible back-door deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The former was …