Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Moscow on Wednesday, praising the close economic and trade ties between the two countries.
“Our trade relations are developing, developing successfully. They are growing, including thanks to the efforts of our Chinese friends,” Putin told Li, according to Russia’s presidential office.
“The attention that the governments of the two countries on both sides pay to the development of trade and economic ties is yielding results.”
The Russian president also sent greetings to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, saying he looked forward to Xi’s attendance at the Brics summit in Russia in October.
Russia is the first stop on Li’s four-day trip, which also includes a visit to Belarus.
Before meeting Putin, Li held talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, with the two witnessing the signing of more than a dozen agreements ranging from investment to transport cooperation, according to the Russian government.
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Both China and Russia have sought to make their economies more resilient in the face of Western pressure over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Beijing’s close trade ties with Moscow.
During the meeting with Mishuskin, Li said China-Russia friendship was “solid, strong, and unshakeable” and had “withstood international turbulence”, according to a Russian statement.
“Now, in the face of a complex and changing international situation, the Chinese side is ready to move forward more firmly with our Russian partners, guided by the strategy of our leaders,” he said.
Mishustin slammed Western efforts to contain Russia and China, calling for efforts with China to defend their common interests, the statement said.
“We are in difficult external conditions. Western countries are using illegitimate sanctions under far-fetched pretexts, or, to put it simply, unfair competition methods. They are trying to maintain their global dominance and contain the economic and technological potential of Russia and China,” he said.
“Therefore, it is important to concentrate efforts on protecting our common interests, building a multipolar world order, and increasing coordination on international platforms.”
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He added that Russia-China relations acted as a “powerful stabilising factor” and contributed to the growth of both economies. Over 95 per cent of bilateral trade is now settled in either the rouble or yuan, with two-way volumes reaching a record high of 20 trillion roubles (1.6 trillion yuan) last year.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted Li as saying China was ready to work with Russia to strengthen “all-round” cooperation and to push bilateral ties to “a new level”.
“China-Russia relations have achieved high-quality development at a high level, and bilateral cooperation in various fields has continued to show strong resilience and steadily moved forward,” he said.
“China … is ready to work with Russia to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state and take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties to uphold mutual respect, mutual trust, everlasting friendship and mutual benefit.”
