On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had trade ties with China during an official meeting in Moscow amidst the increasing friction with the West.
In an address to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Putin stated that extensive cooperation plans and projects between Russia and China in the fields of economics and humanitarianism will persist for many years.
Li, the second-ranking official in China under President Xi Jinping, had been to Moscow for the annual meeting between the prime minister of Russia and himself. The agenda items included practical cooperation and economic matters as the Kremlin continues to rely on Beijing for financial support while the war in Ukraine rages.
In his remarks to Putin, the Chinese premier praised the efforts of the Russian leader and Xi to infuse considerable momentum into expanding bilateral relationships and collaboration.
A high-ranking Chinese official will make his first visit to Russia, a four-day trip that will include a stop in Russian ally Belarus, since the Kremlin’s war with Ukraine escalated following surprise military invasions by Ukrainian forces into the Russian border region of Kursk two weeks ago.
Ukrainian troops entered Russian territory for the first time since World War II, amid mounting pressure for a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2022 with Russia’s full-fledged invasion of its neighbor.
Since the beginning of the war, extensive international sanctions have hit the Kremlin, causing it to grow increasingly dependent on China’s market, goods, and investment. Both Beijing and Moscow view each other as crucial counterweights against a West that they believe is attempting to stifle their development.
Li said the relationship between China and Russia does not target any third party; it is to consolidate overall practical cooperation in his meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Wednesday.
The two nominal heads of government agreed to strengthen bilateral economic and trade cooperation and committed to rejecting any attempt to stifle their economic, scientific, and international development.
Mishustin told Li that Russia and China were in a difficult foreign situation because Western countries imposed unlawful sanctions under flimsy pretexts in order to limit their economic and technical potential. That is why we must focus our efforts on preserving our common interests, establishing a multipolar world order, and improving international cooperation.