China, Russia pledge 'unswerving' partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 25, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

China and Russia vowed to unswervingly deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination during the talks between the two heads of state on Saturday afternoon.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to beef up mutual support and enhance the political and strategic mutual trust.

Hailing the role of close high-level contact in advancing bilateral ties and promoting regional and global development, Xi said the establishment of the strategic partnership of coordination 20 years ago demonstrated the strategic nature of the bilateral ties.

This year also marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, which Xi said affirmed the two countries' friendship from generation to generation.

The above two strategic decisions serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, and conform to the trend of times, Xi said.

He called for more political mutual support between the two countries.

China and Russia should support each other on issues concerning core interests and constantly strengthen political and strategic mutual trust, Xi said.

Noting that both nations are the world's major economies and emerging markets, he said they should deepen pragmatic cooperation and alignment of interests, and push forward the dovetailing of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) for broader regional economic cooperation.

China and Russia have seen increasing cultural activities and people-to-people exchanges in recent years, which help promote mutual understanding and traditional friendship between the two peoples, Xi said.

He also called on the two countries to carry out closer coordination on major international and regional hot spot issues, so as to jointly safeguard the security of the neighborhood.

China and Russia should resolutely safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN charter, the basic norms of the international relations, global strategic balance and stability, as well as international justice, Xi said.

The two countries should advocate disputes settlement through friendly consultations and peaceful negotiations and be committed to establishing a new type of international relations featuring reciprocity and cooperation, so as to safeguard international peace and development.

As China's strategic coordination partner, Russia stands ready to extend mutual support and understanding on issues concerning each others' core interests and major concerns, Putin said.

He called for more cooperation in trade, energy, high technology, security and people-to-people exchanges, as well as synergizing the construction of the EEU and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Russia and China share similar positions in international affairs, and it is necessary for them to maintain close communication and coordination, Putin said.

The two heads of state signed a joint statement on the bilateral relations, a joint statement on strengthening global strategic stability and another on promoting the development of information and cyber space after their talks.

Xi and Putin also witnessed the inking of 30-plus cooperation deals, covering such areas as economy and trade, foreign affairs, infrastructure, technology and innovation, agriculture, finance, energy, media, Internet and sports.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang also met with Putin on Saturday.

Li said during the meeting that China stands ready to align with the EEU proposed by Russia and reach institutional arrangements on trade and investment at an early date.

He also vowed to expand the scope of energy cooperation in areas such as oil and gas, nuclera energy, coal and electricity, promote mutual investment and big-project cooperation, and conduct financial cooperation in currency swap, payment system, and within multilateral framework.

When meeting with Putin, Zhang said exchanges and cooperation between the two countries' legislative bodies have been productive, as they learned from each others' legislative experiences, helped advance economic, trade and local-level cooperation, and coordinate and cooperate with each other in multilateral parliamentary orginazations.

He called on the two countries' legislative bodies to maintain sound communication so as to provide legal support for bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Putin is currently on a state visit to China, and this is his fourth trip to China since Chinese President Xi Jinping took office in 2013.