The president of Russia, Vladimir Putincelebrated on Thursday before his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinpingthat Cooperation between your country and China is advancing at a “rapid pace”, during a summit between the two leaders held in Beijing, at a time when Moscow is increasingly dependent on the Chinese regime to sustain its war effort in Ukraine.
China has an important influence as Russia’s key support after his invasion of Ukraine. Go on supplying Moscow with key components it needs to produce weapons and its oil and gas purchases have helped boost its economy.
In this regard, in a joint statement with Xi, Putin highlighted that “the issue of trade and investment cooperation was a priority during our conversations”.
“China is Russia’s main partner in international trade,” the Russian president assured, highlighting that last year the volume of exchanges established a “new record of “240 billion dollars”.
The Russian food exports “They have multiplied by 1.5 and have reached 7.6 billion dollars,” Putin added. “The total mutual turnover of agricultural products increased by 40% and reached $9.7 billion. Everything suggests that this segment of commerce will continue to expand”.
The Russian president also stressed that the energy collaboration is a priority areawith concrete plans to deepen the interaction between both nations.
“We are not just limited to hydrocarbons. The collaboration in the peaceful use of nuclear energy It is also getting stronger,” he said.
The president mentioned projects such as the construction of Russian nuclear energy units at Chinese nuclear plants in Tianwan (Eastern Jiangsu Province) and Xudabao (Liaoning, northeast), which, in his opinion, will help provide the Chinese economy with affordable and clean energy.
In addition, Putin has referred to collaboration in the field of nuclear research, with projects such as the creation of a fast neutron reactor in China with Russian participation; as well as the construction of the NICA accelerator complex in Dubna, near Moscow, with the help of Chinese partners.
Putin was received by Xi with full military honors in the Great Hall of the Peoplethe enormous seat of the ceremonial legislature, located next to the Tiananmen Squarein the center of the capital, Beijing.
Xi stated that the two countries were strengthening their relationship as “good neighbors, good friends and good partners”according to state television CCTVechoing the commitment to a relationship “without limits” which they signed in 2022, just before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, Moscow is increasingly dependent on China from an economic point of viewsince Western sanctions prevent it from accessing much of the international trading system.
In a joint statement on “deepening comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation entering a new era,” the two leaders They criticized the United States for a series of measures that, they said, threaten their countries and indicated positions in all areas, from the economy and space to defense, Ukraine, Taiwan and the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Both President Putin and I agree that the solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is urgentXi said. “It is necessary to seriously implement United Nations resolutions and resolve the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution.”. “We both agree that the political solution to the Ukrainian crisis is the right direction.”
For his part, Putin expressed his gratitude to Xi for his country’s initiatives to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, while the Chinese leader stated that he hopes that Europe will soon regain peace and stability and that his country will play a constructive role.
China presented a comprehensive peace plan last year in which he outlined general principles for ending the war in Ukraine, but offered no new details about how Beijing might engage with the two warring sides.
“China hopes that Europe will soon regain peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role in this regard,” Xi said.
For its part, The Russian leader said he will inform his counterpart in detail about “the situation in Ukraine” and added that “we appreciate the initiative of our Chinese colleagues and friends to regulate the situation.”
On the eve of his trip, Putin stated in an interview with the Chinese press that the Kremlin is willing to negotiate about the war. “We are open to dialogue on Ukraine, but these negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours,” the president said, as quoted by the Chinese state news agency. Xinhua.
Putin’s trip coincides with the new offensive launched by its troops on the northeastern region of Kharkiv last week, which is the most significant cross-border incursion since the invasion began and has forced nearly 8,000 people to flee their homes.
Beijing maintains it maintains a neutral position on the war, but has backed Moscow’s claims. that the country was provoked by the West to attack the neighboring country, even though Putin publicly acknowledged that the reason for the attack was his desire to restore Russia’s centuries-old borders.
Putin has blamed the West for the failure of negotiations in the first weeks of the conflict and praised the peace plan that Beijing presented at the time, which allowed Moscow to consolidate its territorial gains.
Moscow has forged an increasingly close relationship with Beijing as the war in Ukraine moved into its third year, diverting most of its energy exports to China and relying on Chinese companies to import high-tech components for its military industries in order to dodge Western sanctions.
The relationship between the Kremlin and Beijing’s armies has also grown closer. In recent years they have carried out joint maneuvers, including naval exercises and long-range bomber patrols over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, or ground maneuvers in each other’s territory.
China continues to be an important market for the Russian militaryin addition to massively expanding its local defense industries, including the construction of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.
Putin had stated that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with its partner which helped strengthen its defense capabilities significantly. In October 2019, he mentioned that Moscow was helping Beijing develop an early warning system to detect ballistic missile launches, including ground-based radars and satellites that only the Kremlin and the United States possess.
