BEIJING, January 16. /TASS/. The Chinese government commends the contribution of Dmitry Medvedev to the development of Russian-Chinese relations, hoping that he will continue to facilitate cooperation between the two states in his new position, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said in response to a TASS request for comment.
"The resignation of Mr. Medvedev and the Russian government is a domestic affair of the country. As Russia’s friendly partner, China respects this. In his tenure as head of the Russian government, Mr. Medvedev has played an active role in developing Russian-Chinese relations for many years," the diplomat noted.
"He has made a significant contribution to trade-economic, investment and energy cooperation, as well as cooperation in other spheres. China highly values this. We hope that Mr. Medvedev will continue to contribute to the development of new-age Russian-Chinese relations of strategic partnership and cooperation in his new position, and we are confident that he will," the spokesman concluded.
The entire Russian government, headed by Dmitry Medvedev, resigned on Wednesday. However, President Vladimir Putin instructed the cabinet to continue to carry out its duties until a new government is formed, appointing Medvedev Acting PM. The Russian leader then proposed the candidacy of Russian Federal Tax Service chief Mikhail Mishustin for the post of Prime Minister.
The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) will consider approving the candidacy of Mishustin during a plenary session on Thursday.