MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he considers Chinese leader Xi Jinping a reliable friend and Russia’s stable partner.

"First of all, I would say that I consider President Xi Jinping a reliable friend and stable partner. My reliable friend, Russia’s stable partner and ally. And this is the most important foundation for developing our Russian-Chinese relations," the Russian leader noted during the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year."

Putin also emphasized the consistent development of Russian-Chinese relations. "Of course, agreements and the establishment of a strategic partnership are important, but the most important thing is our actual joint work in all areas," he said.

"We have already cited these figures. Chinese and Russian statistics differ slightly, but the approximate figure is around 240-250 billion dollars in turnover. Yes, this is less than the EU countries combined, but in terms of country-level cooperation, Russia ranks first among European countries," the president stressed. "Overall, China certainly has a much larger turnover with the US, Japan, and South Korea, but in Europe, Russia ranks first among countries," he said.