Chinese President Xi Jinping tells President Putin "We must strengthen eternal friendship"

"Emphasizing 'Good Neighbors, Friends, Partners' with Russia"
Showing Unity Despite US Warnings of Sanctions Against Russia

Despite warnings from the United States regarding sanctions on Russia, Chinese President Xi Jinping demonstrated solidarity with Russia and expressed his intention to maintain a continuous friendly relationship.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and state-run China Central Television (CCTV) on the 16th, President Xi held a small-scale meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that morning and told Russian President Vladimir Putin, "On this new journey, China is ready to be a good neighbor, good friend, and good partner to Russia, to solidify the eternal friendship between our peoples, jointly pursue development and revitalization, and uphold fairness and justice in the world."

[Image source=TASS Yonhap News]

Before the meeting, he opened by congratulating President Putin on the start of his fifth presidential term, saying, "Dear President Putin, I welcome your state visit to China, my old friend (laopengyou·老朋友)." President Xi stated, "China is ready to cooperate with Russia as a good neighbor, friend, and mutually trusting partner," and added, "I believe that under your leadership, Russia's national development and construction will achieve new and greater accomplishments."

President Xi then mentioned his long-standing relationship with President Putin, emphasizing the enduring friendship between the two countries. He said, "China-Russia relations have passed through three-quarters of a century, weathered storms, grown stronger over time, and have set a commendable example respected by major and neighboring countries by overcoming trials in the international situation." He explained, "In recent years, President Putin and I have met over 40 times, maintaining close communication and providing strategic guidance to ensure the stable and smooth development of China-Russia relations."

He also stated, "Today's China-Russia relationship is hard-earned and a value that both sides must cherish and nurture," and argued, "The stable development of China-Russia relations benefits the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples, as well as peace, stability, and prosperity not only in the region but also globally."

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

According to Russia's Sputnik News Agency, President Putin told President Xi, "The cooperation between Russia and China is not opportunistic, nor is it directly aimed at anyone," adding, "It is a stabilizing factor on the world stage." He further mentioned, "Russia and China have truly built solid and substantial cooperation," noting that last year, bilateral trade reached $227 billion (approximately 305.7 trillion KRW), an increase of about 25% compared to the previous year.

President Putin emphasized, "Last year, Russia became China's fourth-largest trading partner," and highlighted that "the approval of the development plan for key areas of economic cooperation between the two countries until 2030, following President Xi's visit to Moscow in March last year, played a direct role."

At the small-scale meeting, which was scheduled to last 45 minutes, Russia was represented by Acting Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy, Economic Support, and Sanctions Aleksandr Novak, Deputy Prime Minister for IT, Communications, Tourism, Sports, Culture, and Media Dmitry Chernyshenko. Also present were Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maksim Oreshkin, Kremlin foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov, Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Acting Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Head of the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service Dmitry Shugaev, and Roscosmos Director Yuri Borisov.

On the Chinese side, the attendees included Cai Qi, the 5th-ranked official and head of the security line as Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party; Ding Xuexiang, the 6th-ranked official and Vice Premier; Wang Yi, head of the Party Central Foreign Affairs Office (also serving as Foreign Minister); and Vice Premier He Lifeng, who oversees economic affairs. Additionally, Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, State Councilor Xie Qian, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui, and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong were present.