BEIJING (Sputnik) — "China and Russia play important and positive roles in many international and regional matters, and this has already been recognized by the entire world," Hong told reporters during a press briefing, commenting on US President Barack Obama's references the two countries during the State of the Union address.
Addressing US Congress late on Tuesday, Obama dedicated the second half of his speech to international affairs. The president said that the world looked to the United States, not Russia or China, for leadership.
Regarding Russia, Obama also stated that it was "pouring resources" into propping up Syria and Ukraine, even though its own economy was contracting.
Moving further east, Obama said that the new Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, which Beijing is not a part of, would serve to prevent China from setting the rules for the East Asian region.
