MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Chinese President Xi Jinping his "colleague and friend" in an interview with Tucker Carlson published on the US journalist’s website.

"We, together with my colleague and friend President XI Jinping, set the goal to reach $200 billion of mutual trade with China this year. We have exceeded this level," Putin said.

Earlier, Moscow and Beijing announced plans to increase trade to $200 bln per year. According to China’s General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade rose by 26.3% in 2023, hitting a record high of $240.11 bln. China’s exports to Russia grew by 46.9% to $110.97 bln, and imports were up by 12.7%, reaching $129.14 bln.