Chinese president (right) calls for deeper bilateral cooperation with Russia (European News Agency)
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that maintaining close ties with Russia is a strategic choice for his country and called for deeper bilateral cooperation during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing.
In his remarks carried by Chinese television CCTV, Xi said that "maintaining and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both sides based on the fundamental interests of our peoples."
The two countries should continuously amplify the positive effects of their high-level political ties and deepen their cooperation in economy, trade, energy, communication and other sectors, Xi said.
Sino-Russian relations have been maintained and strengthened since Russia's war on Ukraine in early 2022, despite Western sanctions against Russia and warnings from the Group of Seven to countries that will contribute to its war effort.
For his part, the Russian prime minister said Tuesday that relations between Beijing and Moscow "have never been so good."
The Russian prime minister's visit to China on Tuesday and Wednesday comes two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, and a senior Chinese general was received in Moscow last November.
Source: French