Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote an article for the Chinese news agency Xinhua, in which he spoke about partnership and the future in relations between Russia and China. The text was published on February 3 on the Kremlin website.
The article “Russia and China: A Strategic Partnership for the Future” came out ahead of the Russian leader’s visit to Beijing, where on Friday, February 4, Putin will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and attend the opening of the Winter Olympics.
“Our countries are close neighbors bound by centuries-old traditions of friendship and trust. And we highly appreciate that the Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, entering a new era, have reached an unprecedented level, have become a model of efficiency, responsibility, and aspiration for the future,” Putin said in his article.
The President of Russia also stated that cooperation between the Russian Federation and the PRC means equality, consideration of each other’s interests, freedom from political and ideological conjuncture and remnants.
“Our countries have defined the basic principles and guidelines for joint work in the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation, the twentieth anniversary of the signing of which we celebrated last year,” the text of the article says.
According to him, it is precisely on the principles of equality and mutual consideration of interests that the political dialogue between countries is deepening from year to year.
In addition, the Russian leader said that in the upcoming talks with the PRC chairman, special attention would be paid to the development of business ties.
“There are all opportunities for this, because our countries have serious financial, industrial, technological, and human resources that allow us to successfully solve the problems of long-term development. Working together, we will achieve stable economic growth and improve the well-being of citizens, strengthen competitiveness, and jointly defend ourselves against modern risks and challenges,” he said.
According to him, Moscow and Beijing are in favor of maintaining an open and non-discriminatory international trading system based on the rules of the World Trade Organization. He noted that the two states have consonant positions on international trade issues, including restarting global supply chains.
Putin also said that Russia and China are expanding the practice of settlements in national currencies and are developing mechanisms to offset the negative impact of unilateral sanctions.
At the same time, the trade turnover between Russia and China in 2021 reached a historic high of $140 billion, Putin stressed. At the same time, countries intend to increase it to $200 billion.
The President of the Russian Federation has no doubt that the Russian Federation and China will make up for the humanitarian cooperation lost due to the pandemic.
“Our countries play an important stabilizing role in the current, far from simple international situation, contribute to the processes of democratization of the system of interstate relations in order to make this system more fair and inclusive,” the Russian leader stressed.
In addition, he said that Russia is counting on strengthening cooperation with China in the fight against the spread of coronavirus. The head of state expressed gratitude to his Chinese colleagues for their assistance in setting up the production of Russian vaccines Sputnik V and Sputnik Light in China, as well as for the “timely organization of supplies” of the necessary protective equipment.
In the same article, Putin expressed confidence that China’s rich experience would make it possible to hold the Beijing Olympics at the highest level.
At the same time, in an interview with the China Media Corporation, the Russian leader called the attempts of a number of countries to politicize sports to please their ambitions fundamentally wrong. The President also considered unacceptable the practice of collective punishment for the offenses of individuals in sports.
Earlier, on January 29, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that during the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, there are no bilateral meetings other than full-scale negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Putin’s schedule.
The day before, the press secretary of the Russian president said that in Beijing, Putin and Jinping would discuss international issues: strat stability in Europe, security guarantees for Russia, Russia’s dialogue with the US and NATO, and regional problems. Also, according to him, the leaders will discuss the topic of cooperation between Russia and China: trade and economic projects, energy, investment cooperation and space.
The Beijing Olympic Games will be held from 4 to 20 February. Putin’s visit to China is scheduled for the opening of the Winter Games.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
