ASTANA, April 26. /TASS/. Moscow and Beijing generally agree on pressing international issues, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a working meeting with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun.
"We are determined to implement all agreements reached at the highest level," the Russian defense chief said, adding that the two countries generally agreed "on the fundamental issues of the current world order and pressing international problems."
Shoigu stressed that friendly relations between Russia and China "continue to develop at a high rate, expanding in all areas, so it is no exaggeration to say that they have reached a high point." He added that the trust-based relationship between President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Xi Jinping of China was crucial in strengthening strategic ties between the two countries.
According to the Russian defense minister, Moscow-Beijing defense cooperation is an important element of enhancing defense capacities and maintaining global and regional stability. "We regularly carry out operational and combat training on land, at sea and in the air, successfully practicing combat training tasks of varying complexity," he noted.
Shoigu emphasized that "the military and political situation in the world is not getting any calmer." "New hotbeds of tension are emerging and things are getting worse in the existing ones. In fact, this is the result of the West’s geopolitical escapades and selfish neocolonial activities," he added.
According to the Russian defense chief, "in contrast to the overall alarming situation, Russia and China are consistently working to build comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.".