China hopes that political tension between Russia and the US will be ceased, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang told reporters.

According to him, Russia and the US have rather complicated relations, Tass reported.

“Russia and the United States are world powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, so they bear special responsibility for maintaining international stability,” he said, adding “we sincerely hope that they will bridge differences through dialogue, based on mutual respect.”

As reported earlier, on March 26, the United States announced decision to expel 60 Russian diplomats and close the Russian Consulate General in Seattle.

Another 24 European countries, Australia, Georgia and Canada also decided to expel Russian diplomats (total 63 people). NATO cut the maximum size of the Russian mission to 20 people from 30, while the EU, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia recalled their ambassador from Moscow for political consultations.