In meeting with Mishustin, president stresses need to consolidate all-round bilateral cooperation
President Xi Jinping meets with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 24. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s readiness to work with Russia to support each other on issues concerning core interests, and he called for enhancing all-round bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Xi made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who made an official visit to China from May 23 to 24 at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang.
Xi asked Mishustin to convey his sincere greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he recalled his successful state visit to Russia in March, when the two presidents outlined a blueprint for the development of China-Russia relations and bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Consolidating and developing China-Russia relations is not only the shared aspiration of the two peoples, but also the overarching trend of the times, Xi said in his meeting with Mishustin on May 24.
He emphasized that China is willing to work with Russia to firmly support each other on issues concerning their core interests, and to strengthen mutual coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and the G20.
Both sides should continue to tap the potential for economic partnership, consolidate and expand fundamentals of cooperation in the fields of energy and mutual connectivity, and create more growth points, he added.
China is willing to work with Russia and other countries of the Eurasian Economic Union to boost the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasian Economic Union, advance the building of a more open regional market, and ensure stable and unimpeded global industrial and supply chains, Xi said.
Trade between China and Russia hit a record high of $190.27 billion in 2022. Between January and April this year, bilateral trade exceeded $73.1 billion, up 41.3 percent over the same period last year, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.
Furthermore, energy cooperation continues to be a major stabilizer for the bilateral ties.
During the meeting, Mishustin conveyed Putin’s warm greetings and best wishes to Xi, saying that Xi’s historic state visit to Russia in March opened a new era of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.
Russia is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, fully utilize the regular meetings between the two prime ministers and relevant cooperation mechanisms, and deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, he said.
Premier Li Qiang also held talks with Mishustin and witnessed the signing of an array of cooperation documents.
Noting that strong resilience, great potential and broad prospects remain in pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, Li said that China is willing to work with Russia to optimize the trade structure, further enrich trade categories, expand cooperation in the fields of agricultural service trade and digital economy, facilitate trade and businesses, and improve customs clearance efficiency.
Li called for strengthening subnational cooperation, promoting people-to-people exchanges, and expanding collaboration in such fields as education, science and technology, culture, tourism, sports and health.
Mishustin hailed the fruitful cooperation between the two countries, saying the bilateral relationship enjoys special, exemplary significance in the international sphere.
Also on May 24, President Xi delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the plenary session of the second Eurasian Economic Forum of the Eurasian Economic Union, held online and offline in Moscow, via video link upon invitation.
Xi said Eurasia is the region with the largest population, the largest number of countries and the most diverse civilizations in the world. In the turbulent and changing world, Asia-Europe cooperation not only concerns the well-being of the people in the region, it also has a profound impact on the development of the world, he said.
Xi said he had put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, calling on all countries to work together to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity and to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI, Xi said the ultimate goal of this initiative is to explore new ways for countries from near and far to achieve common development and to open up a “path of happiness” that benefits the whole world.
As a member of the Eurasian family, China’s development cannot be achieved without the Eurasian region, and it also benefits the region, Xi noted.
Xi said it is China’s sincere hope that the synergy between the BRI and the Eurasian Economic Union will be deepened, and all countries will work together with unity and dedication to open up new prospects for Asia-Europe cooperation.
