China and Russia Pledge to Deepen Practical Cooperation

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to further deepen bilateral practical cooperation, and step up coordination on multilateral platforms and in international affairs.

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Xi arrived in Moscow for a state visit. It is Xi's first visit to a foreign country this year, and also the first one since his reelection as Chinese president earlier this month.

Noting that he was pleased to pay another visit to Russia at the invitation of Putin, the Chinese president said that Russia was the first country he visited after he was elected president 10 years ago and memories from that visit remain fresh today.

Under their guidance, the China-Russia relationship is thriving with new dynamism and vitality. The past years have witnessed such booming cooperation areas as economy, trade and energy. Take two-way trade. Over the past decade, bilateral trade has surged from less than US$90 billion in 2013 to more than US$190 billion last year.

In addition to the fast expansion in volume, the trade structure has also been continuously optimized. Exports of automobiles and spare parts from China to Russia have increased rapidly in recent years.

By the end of 2022, the number of automobile dealers of Chinese brands in Russia had climbed to 1,041. Meanwhile, quality Russian products like chocolate, ice cream, honey, flour and alcohol have become more widely available for Chinese customers.

Energy cooperation is an important cornerstone of practical cooperation of the two countries. Russia is now one of China's leading energy suppliers.

"Our two sides need to raise both the quality and quantity of investment and economic cooperation and step up policy coordination to create favorable conditions for the high-quality development of our investment cooperation," Xi urged.

In the eyes of the Chinese leader, there is a profound historical logic for China-Russia relationship to reach where it is today.

The two countries should further deepen practical cooperation in various fields and strengthen coordination and collaboration on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations to boost their respective national development and rejuvenation, and be a bulwark for world peace and stability, Xi said during Monday's meeting.

His remarks were echoed by the Russian president. With concerted efforts by both sides, Russia-China relations in recent years have delivered fruitful results in various areas, Putin said, adding that Russia stands ready to continue to deepen bilateral practical cooperation, step up communication and collaboration in international affairs, and promote world multi-polarity and greater democracy in international relations.

Xi described his visit to Russia as "a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace." His visit also comes at a time when the Ukraine crisis is grinding on. During Monday's meeting, the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine issue.

Xi stressed that voices for peace and rationality are building. Most countries support easing tensions, stand for peace talks, and are against adding fuel to the fire. A review of history shows that conflicts in the end have to be settled through dialogue and negotiation.

China released a document on its position on the Ukraine crisis, advocating the political settlement of the crisis and rejecting the Cold War mentality and unilateral sanctions, said Xi.

China believes that the more difficulties there are, the greater the need to keep space for peace. China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine issue, said the Chinese leader.

For his part, Putin said that Russia appreciates China for consistently upholding an impartial, objective, and balanced position and standing for fairness on major international issues.

Russia has studied China's position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine issue and is open to talks for peace. Russia welcomes China to play a constructive role in this regard.