'Russia-China Honeymoon' Putin in Harbin: "Strengthening Economic Cooperation with China in Energy and More"

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a state visit to China, are applauding while watching the performance commemorating the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations held in Beijing on the 16th. The two leaders agreed to strengthen mutual cooperation at the expanded summit held that day. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Russian President Vladimir Putin, visiting China, emphasized the importance of economic cooperation with China on the 17th (local time) in Harbin and expressed his intention to strengthen cooperation in areas such as energy and agricultural products.

According to Russia's TASS news agency, President Putin made these remarks in a speech at the opening ceremony of the 8th Russia-China Expo and the 4th Russia-China Regional Cooperation Forum held in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, which borders Russia. President Putin stated, "Our (Russia and China) strategic alliance in the energy sector will continue to be strengthened," adding, "Russia is ready and capable of continuously supplying environmentally friendly and affordable light and heat (energy) to China."

He emphasized that Russia and China, following a tradition of friendly cooperation, can jointly undertake and promote difficult and challenging projects, and introduced that various cooperation directions between the two countries were discussed during the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping the previous day. President Putin said, "We can take pride in the economic relations and economic cooperation outcomes between Russia and China," citing various statistics including last year's record-high bilateral trade volume.

Since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, China and Russia have strengthened economic cooperation to the extent that last year's trade volume reached a record high of $240.1 billion (approximately 324 trillion won). He said, "This is not the limit," expressing confidence that "the inseparable partnership between Russia and China will contribute to the economic growth of both countries, ensure stable energy security, create new industries and high-wage jobs, and improve the quality of life for the peoples of both countries." He also expressed hope for expanding agricultural cooperation between the two countries, noting that Russia is actively exporting grains, seafood, pork, and other agricultural and livestock products to China.

President Putin arrived in Beijing the previous day and held three rounds of talks with President Xi, including a small-scale meeting, an expanded meeting, and an informal meeting combined with an evening walk, discussing bilateral partnership and strategic cooperation issues as well as international security issues including the Ukraine situation. Invited by President Xi, President Putin is on a two-day state visit to China from the 16th to the 17th. This visit marks Putin's first overseas trip since his fifth term inauguration, showcasing the close relationship between the two countries.