Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly meet the press after their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2023. Xi on Tuesday held talks with Putin in Moscow. [Xinhua/Shen Hong]

MOSCOW, March 21 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly met the press after their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday.

Xi said that it was his first visit to Moscow after a lapse of over three years, and also his first overseas trip and state visit to Russia after his reelection as President of China. Over the past 10 years, he and Putin have forged close relations, maintained strategic communication, and delivered fruitful outcomes through strategic coordination between the two countries.

Noting he and Putin held candid, friendly and fruitful talks, Xi said they had an in-depth exchange of views on the bilateral ties and major regional and international issues of mutual interest, and reached new, important common understandings in many fields.

They signed and issued a Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era and a Joint Statement of the President of the People's Republic of China and the President of the Russian Federation on Pre-2030 Development Plan on Priorities in China-Russia Economic Cooperation, making plans and arrangements for the growth of bilateral relations and wide-ranging cooperation between the two countries going forward.

He and Putin reviewed the achievements of the growing bilateral relationship over the last 10 years, the Chinese president stressed, adding that they shared the view that this relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral scope and acquired critical importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity.

China and Russia have followed the principles of good-neighborliness, friendship and win-win cooperation in advancing exchanges and cooperation in various areas, Xi said, stressing that under the new historical circumstances, the two sides will view and handle China-Russia relations with a broad vision and a long-term perspective, in a bid to make greater contribution to human progress.

Xi pointed out that since last year, the all-round practical cooperation between China and Russia has yielded fruitful outcomes, and continued to manifest its strengths of solid fundamentals, high complementarity and strong resilience. Two-way trade has grown by 116 percent over the last 10 years, which has not only consolidated the material foundation for bilateral relations, but also given an important boost to economic and social development in both countries, he said, noting this is not an easy achievement.

He and Putin agreed that the two sides need to strengthen overall design and top-level planning, boost trade in energy, resources and electromechanical products, enhance the resilience of their industrial and supply chains, expand cooperation in such areas as information technology, digital economy, agriculture and trade in services, promote greater complementarity and joint development of traditional trade and emerging areas of cooperation, and further facilitate cross-border logistics and transportation, Xi said.

They shared the view that the two sides should continue to cement the cornerstone of people-to-people exchanges, Xi said, calling for efforts to encourage more interactions between sister provinces/states and between sister cities, ensure the success of the Years of Sports Exchange, and facilitate the personnel movement between the two countries.

The two sides pointed out that as permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia will continue to work with the international community to firmly uphold the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

China and Russia will work more closely within multilateral frameworks, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and the G20, practice true multilateralism, and promote post-COVID economic recovery, according to the two sides. They will boost the constructive force for building a multi-polar world and improving the global governance system, contribute more to maintaining global food and energy security and keeping industrial and supply chains stable, and work together for a community with a shared future for mankind.

Last month, China released a document titled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," Xi stressed, adding that on the Ukraine crisis, China has all along abided by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, followed an objective and impartial position, and actively encouraged peace talks. China has based its position on the merits of the matter per se and stood firm for peace and dialogue and on the right side of history, he added.

Xi said he looks forward to staying in close touch with Putin through various means to guide the steady and sustained growth of China-Russia relations.

(Source: Xinhua)