On 21 March local time, President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly met the press after their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow. President Xi noted that it was his first visit to Moscow after a lapse of over three years. It was also his first overseas trip and state visit to Russia after his reelection as President of China. Over the past ten years, he and President Putin have forged close relations, maintained strategic communication, and delivered fruitful outcomes through strategic coordination between the two countries.
They had an in-depth exchange of views on the bilateral ties and major regional and international issues of mutual interest, and reached new, important common understandings in many fields. They signed and issued a Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era and a Joint Statement of the President of the People’s Republic of China and the President of the Russian Federation on Pre-2030 Development Plan on Priorities in China-Russia Economic Cooperation, making plans and arrangements for the growth of the bilateral relations and wide-ranging cooperation between the two countries going forward.
President Xi stressed that he and President Putin reviewed the achievements of the growing bilateral relationship over the last ten years. They shared the view that this relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral scope and acquired critical importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity. China and Russia have followed the principles of good-neighborliness, friendship and win-win cooperation in advancing exchanges and cooperation in various areas. Under the new historical circumstances, the two sides will view and handle China-Russia relations with a broad vision and a long-term perspective, in a bid to make greater contribution to human progress.
President Xi pointed out that since last year, the all-round practical cooperation between China and Russia has yielded fruitful outcomes, and continued to manifest its strengths of solid fundamentals, high complementarity and strong resilience. Two-way trade has grown by 116 percent over the last ten years. This has not only consolidated the material foundation for the bilateral relations, but also given an important boost to economic and social development in both countries. This is not an easy achievement.
He and President Putin agreed that the two sides need to strengthen overall design and top-level planning, boost trade in energy, resources, and electromechanical products, enhance the resilience of their industrial and supply chains, expand cooperation in such areas as information technology, the digital economy, agriculture and trade in services, promote greater complementarity and joint development of traditional trade and emerging areas of cooperation, and further facilitate cross-border logistics and transportation.
They shared the view that the two sides should continue to cement the cornerstone of people-to-people exchanges. To be specific, efforts should be made to encourage more interactions between sister provinces/states and between sister cities, ensure the success of the Years of Sports Exchange, and facilitate the personnel movement between the two countries.
The two sides noted that as permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia will continue to work with the international community to firmly uphold the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China and Russia will work more closely within multilateral frameworks including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and the G20, practice true multilateralism, and promote post-COVID economic recovery. The two sides will boost the constructive force for building a multi-polar world and improving the global governance system, contribute more to maintaining global food and energy security and keeping industrial and supply chains stable, and work together for a community with a shared future for mankind.
President Xi stressed that, last month, China released a document titled “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis”. On the Ukraine crisis, China has all along abided by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, followed an objective and impartial position, and actively encouraged peace talks. China has based its position on the merits of the matter per se and stood firm for peace and dialogue and on the right side of history.
He said he looks forward to staying in close touch with President Putin through various means to guide the steady and sustained growth of China-Russia relations.
On his own part, President Putin once again extended Russia’s warm congratulations on President Xi’s reelection as President of China by unanimous vote and the formation of a new government in China.
He said that Russia-China relations are developing very well. Good progress has been made in all fields of bilateral cooperation. Exchanges and cooperation are active between the governments, legislative bodies, at different levels and in different areas.
Amid a complex environment, such as the spread of COVID, Russia-China trade bucked the trend and realized growth. He expressed hope that the two sides will make full use of their existing channels of exchange and work for new progress in practical cooperation in various fields, including the economy and trade, investment, energy, space and cross-border transportation and logistics, and bring people-to-people and cultural exchanges in sports and tourism and at subnational levels to new heights.
Russia firmly supports China in upholding its legitimate interests on questions related to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Russia congratulates China on helping to successfully bring about historic outcomes from the talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing. This fully demonstrates China’s important status and positive influence as a major country in the world.
Russia appreciates China for consistently upholding an objective and impartial position on international affairs, supports the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative China has put forward and stands ready to further enhance international coordination with China.
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