Xi said that China and Russia have “stayed true to their original aspirations and maintained the steady development of bilateral relations” despite the pandemic and multiple challenges arising in the world, adding that his meeting with Putin would “inject more vitality into China-Russia relations.”
Xi emphasized that China and Russia have “firmly supported each other in upholding their respective core interests, enhanced their political and strategic mutual trust, and brought the bilateral trade to a new high.” Xi expressed his willingness to work with Putin to "promote the continuous transformation of high-level mutual trust between China and Russia into results of cooperation in all fields and bring real benefits to the people of the two countries.”
Xi and Putin have met and talked 38 times since 2013, which has pushed China-Russia relations to their best in history. In an article signed by Putin and published by Xinhua ahead of the meeting, Putin said that bilateral trade between China and Russia grew by more than 33 percent to exceed US$140 billion in 2021, approaching the goal of US$200 billion set by the two countries. Putin revealed that “a mutually beneficial energy partnership is being formed” between the two countries, and besides long-term oil and gas supplies to China, the two countries “have plans to implement a number of large-scale joint projects.”
“Our countries play an important stabilizing role in today’s challenging international environment, promoting greater democracy in the system of international relations to make it more equitable and inclusive. We are working together to strengthen the central coordinating role of the United Nations in global affairs and to prevent the international legal system, with the UN Charter at its center, from being eroded,” said Putin in his article.
Following the meeting, China and Russia issued a joint statement which said that China and Russia “oppose further enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and urged NATO to abandon its cold-war mentality.” The two countries “stand against any attempts to forge exclusive blocs and to stoke confrontation between blocs in the Asia-Pacific region” and “are highly vigilant about the negative impact of the US IndoPacific strategy on peace and stability in the region.”
China and Russia are committed to building an equitable, open and inclusive security system in the Asia-Pacific region that is not directed against any third country, and have made consistent efforts in promoting peace, stability and prosperity, said the statement.
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