MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/. Relations between Russia and China have reached an unprecedented level and become a model of efficiency, responsibility and aspiration for the future, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an article for China’s Xinhua news agency, published on the Kremlin website on Thursday.
The article, titled Russia and China: A Future-Oriented Strategic Partnership, came out ahead of Putin’s February 4 visit to Beijing, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games.
According to the Russian president, he is "pleased to address directly the large Chinese and foreign audience of Xinhua, the world's largest news agency."
Principles of Russian-Chinese relations
The Russian leader emphasized that Russia and China "are close neighbors bound by centuries-old traditions of friendship and trust." "We highly appreciate that Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation, entering a new era, have reached an unprecedented level and have become a model of efficiency, responsibility, and aspiration for the future," Putin noted.
He pointed out that "the basic principles and guidelines for joint work were defined by our countries in the Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, the twentieth anniversary of which we celebrated last year." "These are, first and foremost, equality, consideration of one another's interests, freedom from political and ideological circumstances, as well as from the vestiges of the past. These are the principles we are consistently building on year after year in the spirit of continuity to deepen our political dialogue. Despite the difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we are striving to dynamically build the capacity of economic partnerships and expand humanitarian exchanges," the Russian leader wrote.
Agenda of talks
"During the upcoming visit, the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and I will thoroughly discuss key issues on the bilateral, regional, and global agendas. It is symbolic that our meeting will take place during the Spring Festival - the Chinese Lunar New Year. After all, as the Chinese saying goes, ‘make your whole year's plan in the spring’," Putin noted.
According to him, "the development of business ties will certainly be given special attention." "There is every opportunity for this as our countries have substantial financial, industrial, technological and human resources allowing us to successfully resolve long-term development issues. By working together, we can achieve stable economic growth and improve the well-being of our citizens, strengthen our competitiveness, and stand together against today's risks and challenges," Putin said.
Global issues
The Russian leader stressed that "an important part of the visit will be a discussion of relevant international topics." "The coordination of the foreign policy of Russia and China is based on close and coinciding approaches to solving global and regional issues. Our countries play an important stabilizing role in today's challenging international environment, promoting the democratization of the system of interstate relations to make it more equitable and inclusive. We are working together to strengthen the central coordinating role of the United Nations in global affairs and to prevent the international legal system, with the UN Charter at its center, from being eroded," the Russian president said.
He added that "Russia and China are actively cooperating on the broadest agenda within BRICS, RIC, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as other associations." "Within the G20, we are committed to taking national specifics into account when formulating our recommendations, be it the fight against pandemics or the implementation of the climate agenda. Thanks to a large extent to our countries' shared solidarity, following the 2021 G20 Summit in Rome informed decisions were made on international cooperation to restore economic growth, recognize vaccines and vaccine certificates, optimize energy transitions, and reduce digitalization risks," Putin specified.
He stated that the two countries "also have convergent positions on international trade issues." "We advocate maintaining an open, transparent and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system based on the rules of the World Trade Organization. We support relaunching of global supply chains," Putin noted.
"Back in March 2020, Russia proposed an initiative on ‘green trade corridors’ that excludes any sanctions, political and administrative barriers. Its implementation is a useful aid to overcoming the economic consequences of the pandemic," the Russian president said.
Mutually beneficial cooperation
When speaking about economic cooperation, Putin pointed out that "at the end of 2021, the volume of mutual trade increased by more than a third, exceeding the record level of 140 billion US dollars." "We are well on the way towards our goal of increasing the volume of trade to 200 billion US dollars a year," he added.
"A number of important initiatives are being implemented in the investment, manufacturing, and agro-industrial sectors," Putin noted. "We are consistently expanding the practice of settlements in national currencies and creating mechanisms to offset the negative impact of unilateral sanctions," he stressed.
Putin pointed out that "a mutually beneficial energy alliance is being formed between our countries." "Along with long-term supplies of Russian hydrocarbons to China, we have plans to implement a number of large-scale joint projects. The construction of four new power units at Chinese nuclear power plants with the participation of Rosatom State Corporation launched last year is one of them. All this significantly strengthens the energy security of China and the Asia region as a whole," the Russian president emphasized.
"We see an array of opportunities in the development of partnerships in information and communication technologies, medicine, space exploration, including the use of national navigation systems and the International Lunar Research Station project," he added.
Fight against pandemic
The head of state expressed gratitude "to our Chinese colleagues for their assistance in launching the production of Russian Sputnik V and Sputnik Light vaccines in China and for the timely supply of necessary protective equipment to our country." "We hope that this cooperation will develop and strengthen," Putin said.
Interests of tourists
Putin noted that "in the last two years, the number of tourists, joint mass events, and direct contacts between our citizens has reduced due to the pandemic." However, he was confident that Russia and China "will catch up and, as soon as the situation allows, will launch new outreach and educational programs to introduce our citizens to the history and present-day life of the two countries." "President Xi Jinping and I have agreed to hold the Years of Russian-Chinese cooperation in physical fitness and sports in 2022 and 2023," Putin added.
Far Eastern development
Putin believes that "one of Russia's strategic objectives is to accelerate the social and economic upliftment of Siberia and the Russian Far East," which are "immediate neighbors of the PRC."
"We also intend to actively develop interregional ties. Thus, the modernization of the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Trans-Siberian Railway has been started. By 2024, their capacity must increase one and a half times through higher volumes of transit cargo and reduced transport time. The port infrastructure in the Russian Far East is also growing. All this should further enhance the complementarity of the Russian and Chinese economies," the head of state said.
He also added that "the conservation of nature and shared ecosystems remains an important area of bilateral cross-border and interregional cooperation."
Against politicization of sports
Putin stated that "Russia and China are leading sporting nations renowned for their sporting traditions and not once have hosted the largest international competitions with dignity." "I fondly remember my visit to Beijing in August 2008 to attend the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Guests and athletes from Russia will remember the vivid performance for a long time, and the Games themselves were organized with the scale and exceptional hospitality inherent to our Chinese friends. For our part, we were delighted to host President Xi Jinping at the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi," he noted.
The Russian leader went on to say that China had "done tremendous work to prepare well for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games." "He was confident that "China's extensive experience in the excellent organization of representative international competitions will make it possible to hold this festival of world sports at the highest level." "I would like to wish the Russian and Chinese teams impressive results and new records!" Putin wrote.
"Sadly, attempts by a number of countries to politicize sports to the benefit of their ambitions have recently intensified. This is fundamentally wrong and contrary to the very spirit and principles of the Olympic Charter. The power and greatness of sports are that it brings people together, gives moments of triumph and pride for the country and delights with fair, just and uncompromising competition. And these approaches are shared by most of the states participating in the international Olympic Movement," Putin emphasized.
In his article, the Russian president also sent his "warmest congratulations to the friendly people of China on the occasion of the Spring Festival, which marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger," wishing them "good health, prosperity, and success."
Along with the article for the Xinhua agency, Putin’s interview with the China Media Group, in which the president answered questions concerning Russian-Chinese relations and the upcoming Olympic Games, was also posted on the Kremlin’s website on Thursday.