China, Russia hail bilateral ties as strategic choice, stabiliser of intl relations amid Russian PM’s China visit

(The Global Times) -- Maintaining and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both sides based on the fundamental interests of the two peoples, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Wednesday, following the Russian high-ranking official’s meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, chairing the 28th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing.

Chinese experts hailed the close strategic collaboration between the two countries in recent years as a model of a new type of great power relations, which is crucial to the stable development of the international community. In addition, under the leadership of the heads of state, the internal driving force of ties is expected to be strengthened, not only in trade and the economy, but also cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
In his meeting with Mishustin, Xi said the governments, legislative bodies, political parties and localities of the two countries have carried out in-depth exchanges, and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has developed in a sound and steady manner.
In the first 11 months of this year, bilateral trade between China and Russia achieved the annual trade volume target of US$200 billion jointly set by the two heads of state, which shows the strong resilience and broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, Xi said.
Xi also expressed the hope of taking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia next year as a new starting point to continuously expand the positive effects of high-level political relations and jointly move forward in the process of comprehensively promoting economic and social development and realising national rejuvenation.
Mishustin hailed the China-Russia relationship as being “at the highest level in history,” adding that it is maintaining a rapid momentum of development. He described bilateral ties as “a ballast and stabiliser of international relations,” according to Xinhua.
Russia is willing to work with China to strengthen communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as the UN and BRICS, Mishustin said, Xinhua reported.
Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that Xi’s meeting with Mishustin highlights the mutual trust and support at the strategic level between Beijing and Moscow.
The strengthening of trade and economic cooperation will lay the foundation for cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in broader areas, and the past has shown that strategic coordination between the two sides is very close and productive, Li said.
Unlike the US’ approach of “saying one thing but doing another” in dealing with relationships with China, Europe and Russia, China and Russia have always put words into action, said Li, and “that shows why China-Russia relations are a role model of great power relations.”
After the meeting on Tuesday, the two heads of government jointly witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in the areas of customs, inspection and quarantine, market supervision, and other fields.
According to Xinhua, the two sides agreed on Tuesday that they should “further enhance the internal driving force” to develop China-Russia relations, expand bilateral trade and agricultural cooperation, create a better business environment for each other’s enterprises to invest in their own countries, jointly safeguard the energy security of the two countries, and ensure the security and stability of industrial and supply chains.
Russia is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, energy and investment, Mishustin said.

(Latest Update December 22, 2023)