President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with President Putin, calling for increased cooperation and resistance to "outside interference".
In a phone call on February 8 with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two countries should "strengthen strategic cooperation, protect each other's national sovereignty , security and development interests."
Xi also called on Beijing and Moscow to "resolutely oppose external interference" in their internal affairs. "We have overcome many trials and tribulations together in the past. Looking to the future, relations between the two countries are facing many new opportunities for development," the Chinese president stressed.
The Kremlin statement said the two leaders discussed in detail the situation in several regions of the world , including the Middle East, as well as the developments in Ukraine. "Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi affirmed that close cooperation between the two countries is an important factor contributing to stabilizing the world situation," the statement said.
President Xi Jinping (left) and President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in March 2023. Photo: AFP
Chinese officials did not specifically mention Ukraine or the Middle East in announcing the call, but said the two leaders discussed "hot regional and international issues."
During the phone call, the Chinese and Russian presidents also praised trade cooperation, as bilateral trade turnover exceeded the 200 billion USD mark in 2023, earlier than the plan previously set by both sides.
China has criticized Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip and said it supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It has also refused to condemn Russia’s campaign in Ukraine or impose sanctions on Moscow as called for by the West.
In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson published on February 8, Mr. Putin emphasized that Russia and China have "balanced and complementary trade relations in the fields of high technology, energy, scientific research and development." The Russian president also called Mr. Xi "colleague and friend" as he has done many times before.
Russia and China agreed on an “unlimited” strategic partnership in February 2022, when President Putin visited Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, weeks before Russia launched its campaign in Ukraine.
Xi visited Russia in March 2023 on his first foreign trip after being elected to a third term as Chinese President. Putin also visited China in October 2023, one of his rare foreign trips since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Russia-China diplomatic relations. Kremlin adviser Yury Ushakov said on February 8 that President Xi and President Putin will continue to have "close personal interactions" in the coming time, but there are no plans to visit each other.
Pham Giang (According to CNN, Reuters )
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