SHANGHAI, May 17. China and Russia are not afraid of pressure from the West, because they have enough means to counter it, Zheng Runyu, an expert from the Center for Russian Studies at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, has told TASS, while commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China.

"With China and Russia simultaneously facing constant pressure from the West, the face-to-face contact between high-level teams from China and Russia shows that the national interests of both sides are more aligned. In the face of the global crisis, both sides show a common desire for deeper cooperation. Both sides do not want confrontation with the West, but as for the confrontation and pressure that the West uses to deal with new international changes, China and Russia are signaling through their cooperation that they are not afraid and are capable of responding," the expert believes.

Putin arrived in China on May 16 on a state visit that will last until May 17. This is his first foreign visit after his re-election as head of state. Putin has held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday. The two men discussed the whole range of Russian-Chinese cooperation, with a special focus on economic issues. The two leaders also adopted a joint statement.