21st September 2023 – (St. Petersburg) Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his country’s commitment to collaborating with China in resisting unipolar hegemony and bloc confrontation while safeguarding international fairness and justice. Putin made these remarks during a meeting with Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.
Putin highlighted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia earlier this year as a defining moment in bilateral relations. The implementation of important agreements between the two nations has yielded positive outcomes in various areas, including economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchanges, and sports.
Despite the unilateral sanctions imposed by Western nations, Putin emphasized that Russia’s economy has displayed signs of recovery and normal functioning this year. He expressed readiness to strengthen planning and deepen practical cooperation with China.
Furthermore, Putin conveyed Russia’s high appreciation and firm support for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He opposed any distortions or smears against the BRI and expressed a willingness to enhance alignment between the Eurasian Economic Union and the BRI to promote regional integration.
Putin underscored that the current international situation validates President Xi’s strategic assessment that the world is experiencing unprecedented changes. Through collective efforts, the BRICS expanded its membership this year, elevating BRICS cooperation to a new level. Russia is eager to maintain close coordination with China within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS mechanism to counter unipolar hegemony and bloc confrontation while safeguarding international fairness and justice.
In response, Wang Yi acknowledged the successful meeting between the heads of state of China and Russia, which outlined a new blueprint for the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries. He emphasized that this meeting has provided clear direction and injected strong momentum into the further development of bilateral relations.
During his visit, Wang engaged in extensive discussions on various cooperation fields between China and Russia with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Wang expressed China’s willingness to work together with Russia, taking the important consensus reached by the heads of state as a fundamental guideline. They aim to enhance strategic mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, and consolidate the public opinion and social foundation of friendship between the two nations.
Recognising the complex international situation, Wang noted that the world is rapidly moving towards multipolarity, despite challenges to economic globalization and unsustainable unilateral actions. As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia bear significant responsibilities in promoting global development and progress. They need to strengthen multilateral strategic cooperation, protect their legitimate rights and interests, and jointly promote international order based on fairness and justice.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the current international and regional situations. Regarding the Ukraine issue, Putin reiterated Russia’s commitment to resolving it through dialogue and negotiation.
In addition to the meeting, Wang Yi co-chaired the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation, participated in a meeting on security issues with high representatives from China, Russia, and Mongolia, and held separate discussions with Sergey Lavrov and Jadamba Enkhbayar, secretary of the Mongolian National Security Council.