News - Middle East: China says mutual political trust with Russia has increased and Beijing is willing to work with Moscow to implement their strategic partnership and promote further progress in their relationship.

In a statement on Saturday, the Chinese foreign ministry said the political trust has deepened after Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited Russia this week and met with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Zhaoxu also met with Russian Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs Andrey Rudenko and Sergey Vershinin during his visit on February 2 and 3.

The two sides exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation as well as international and regional issues of common concern, the statement said.

Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow's relations with China have no limits and, despite not being a formal military alliance, were of a much higher and broader nature.

The statement came in the wake of a rise in tensions between China and the US after a Chinese balloon flew over the airspace of the United States.

Washington has described it as a spy balloon, while China says it is an airship used for civilian meteorological and other scientific purposes.

The incident led to the postponement of Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken's planned visit to China, which was scheduled to begin on Friday.