In first official trip abroad after his reelection, Putin visits China
By IAR Desk
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the People’s Republic of China on a two-day state visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is Putin’s first foreign official visit following his reelection as President of the Russian Federation for a record fifth term.
Ahead of the talks, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping offered an official welcome ceremony to President of Russia Vladimir Putin, during which the two Leaders introduced their delegations.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping held a conversation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, followed by expanded Russian-Chinese consultations. The talks covered a range of topics of bilateral cooperation and saw an exchange of perspectives on current international and regional issues.
Following the talks, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping signed a Joint Statement between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, aimed at strengthening their comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction in a new era, marking the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Furthermore, a series of documents were signed in the presence of both leaders.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping made statements to the media.
In his statement Xi noted that bilateral relations were “developing progressively, with trade, economic, investment, energy, cultural and humanitarian cooperation also growing stronger between our regions. Taken together, this serves as an important factor for maintaining global strategic stability and making international relations more democratic.”
Putin noted that “Russia and China adhere to a shared vision of their national development goals and are committed to ensuring each other’s prosperity based on the principles of mutual respect, neighbourly relations, and mutual benefit.”
The Russian President drew attention to bilateral trade, which, he pointed out, had, over the past five years, “…been growing at a fast pace, despite the consequences of the pandemic and certain actions by third countries aimed at containing our development.””We have created a substantial portfolio of 80 major joint investment projects in diverse fields. The development of our bilateral trade received a powerful boost from our joint decision to conduct mutual settlements in national currencies. Today, 90 percent of all transactions are carried out in rubles and yuan,” Putin said.
