Politics

China to continue supporting Russia in key areas, Xi says

Beijing, May 24 (EFE).- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday received Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing and said that China was ready to continue offering “strong support” to Russia in matters of key interest.

“China is ready to work with Russia in extending strong support to each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and strengthen collaboration in multilateral arenas,” Xi said, according to a statement published by state media CGTN.

He underlines some of these international platforms – such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and the G20 – where Beijing and Moscow could work together.

Moreover, Xi also said the two sides should “continue to tap potential, further upgrade the level of economic, trade and investment cooperation,” and highlighted the importance of boosting “people-to-people exchanges.”

Separately, he stressed the need to “consolidate and expand cooperation in energy and connectivity.”

“China is willing to work with the Russian side and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (…) to promote the formation of a more open regional market and ensure a stable and smooth global supply and industrial chain,” Xi said, along with backing a boost in cultural exchanges.

In response, Mishustin said that Russia wants to work with China to “earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state,” and “deepen practical cooperation in various fields.”

He added that Moscow would cooperate with Beijing to “promote multipolarization in the world and consolidate the international order based on international law.”

Mishustin is the highest-level Russian official to visit China since the beginning of the Ukraine war, an issue which was not discussed in the Chinese statement.

Apart from meeting Xi, the Russian premier also met his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang earlier.

Li highlighted during his meeting with Mishustin that pragmatic cooperation between the two sides had grown, and bilateral trade had jumped by 40 percent.

However, state daily Global Times cited an analyst to highlight that the current trade ties mostly centered on raw materials and natural resources, and opined that they should be expanded to other sectors.

China and Russia held a business summit in the Asian nation’s business hub Shanghai on Tuesday, which was attended by Mishustin as part of his two-day visit. EFE

jco/ia

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