President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have jointly pledged to deepen a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for what they described as the “New Era.”
The decision was reached Thursday between the two leaders as Putin arrived in China on a two-day courtesy visit.
The visit has coincided with the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations.
In a statement issued yesterday by China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC), President Xi noted that Putin’s choice of China as his first foreign visit after he began his new term as the President fully demonstrated the great importance Putin and the Russian government attached to developing China-Russia relations.
“China highly appreciates this”, the statement read in part.
Welcoming his guest, President Xi noted that having lasted three quarters of a century, China-Russia relations have grown from strength to strength despite the ups and downs, and have stood the test of changing international landscapes.
“The relationship has become a fine example for major countries and neighboring countries to treat each other with respect and candor, and pursue friendship and mutual benefit.”
The statement further read that over the years, Presidents Xi and Putin have met more than 40 times and stayed in close communication, providing strategic guidance that has ensured the sound, steady and smooth development of the relationship.
“The China-Russia relationship is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it.
“Steady development of China-Russia relations is not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples but also conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world at large.
“On the new journey, China is ready to work with Russia to stay each other’s good neighbor, good friend and good partner that trust each other, continue to consolidate the lasting friendship between the two peoples, and jointly pursue respective national development and revitalization and uphold fairness and justice in the world.
“China is advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts and moving faster to foster new quality productive forces through high-quality development, which will add new drivers to global economic growth. Both China and Russia are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and major emerging markets.
“It is the shared strategic choice of both countries to deepen strategic coordination, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and follow the general historical trend of multi-polarity in the world and economic globalization.
“The two sides should take the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties as a new starting point, further synergize development strategies and continue to enrich the bilateral cooperation to bring greater benefits to the two countries and peoples.”
President Xi also expressed readiness to work with President Putin to steer the future direction of the bilateral relations and make new plans for cooperation between both countries in various fields.
Earlier, the Spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, stated that both leaders will exchange views on the bilateral relations, cooperation in various fields, and international and regional issues of common concern in the course of the visit.
