Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a video call where they recorded bilateral contacts at various levels last year and pledged to continue “intensive bilateral exchanges”.
During the meeting, the Russian politician emphasized that the cooperation between Moscow and Beijing contributes to the formation of a just world order. “We share the same views on the causes, course and rationale for the ongoing transformation of the global geopolitical landscape,” he told his Chinese counterpart.
Putin added that the Russian Federation and China are forced to exist “in conditions of unprecedented pressure and provocations from the West.”
At the same time, countries defend not only their own interests, but also “everyone who stands for a truly democratic world order”.
As the head of state emphasized,[российско-китайские] Ties are the best in history, they represent a model of cooperation between great powers in the 21st century.”
Trade turnover
According to Putin, there has been a record growth in trade between countries recently, and the $200 billion target is likely to be reached ahead of schedule. According to the 2022 results, the trade turnover will “increase by approximately 25%”.
“Despite the negative external situation, illegitimate restrictions and direct blackmail from some Western countries, Russia and China have managed to achieve record growth rates in bilateral trade,” said the Russian President.
There was also a significant increase in the trade in agricultural products. Putin said that in the January-November period, trade increased by 36% to $6 billion.
There are also “important projects in the field of transportation infrastructure”. “For the first time in the history of our relations, permanent bridges appeared on the border of the Amur river: the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe highway bridge was opened on June 10 and the Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang railway bridge was opened on November 16.” .
Energy sources
Next year, Russia plans to increase gas flow to China.
Emphasizing that Russia is in the leading position among oil exporters to China, Putin said, “The supply of energy carriers has reached unprecedented volumes, joint work is underway to build capacity in the field of hydrocarbon production and processing.”
“Today we are already in second place in terms of pipeline gas supply to China and fourth in terms of imported liquefied natural gas, 13.8 billion cubic meters were sent along the eastern route by December 1, and in December the daily surplus contracted liabilities reached 18%,” said the politician.
Russia has also become China’s largest oil exporter. In November, 7.8 million tons of oil were shipped to China.
military cooperation
Putin promised that Russia and China will develop military and military-technical cooperation, which “contributes to ensuring the security of our countries and maintaining stability in key regions.”
“We aim to strengthen the interaction between the Russian and Chinese armed forces,” he said.
close contact
The Chinese President also noted that he communicated with Putin many times in 2022. “We had two face-to-face meetings this year, we talked on the phone several times, we are in close strategic contact,” he told his Russian counterpart.
Beijing has assured that it is ready to further develop strategic cooperation with Moscow “in the face of a difficult and far from clear international situation”.
“We are ready to develop strategic cooperation with Russia, provide each other with development opportunities, and become global partners for the benefit of the peoples of our countries,” Xi said.
At the same time, according to him, this “comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction” shows high stress resistance in the new period.
new visit
Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow is scheduled for the spring of 2023. “I have no doubt that we will have the opportunity to meet face to face. Addressing Xi Jinping, Putin said, “Dear president, dear friend, we are waiting for you with an official visit to Moscow next spring.” and bilateral relations will be the main political event of the year.”
Intense bilateral exchanges will continue next year,” he said.