MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Russia and China stabilize global affairs by maintaining strategic bilateral relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"It’s an absolutely comprehensive partnership of strategic nature that hasn’t had precedents in history, at least between Russia and China," he said during his annual news conference. "This hard day-to-day work benefits both Chinese and Russian people and is a serious stabilizing factor on the international stage."

Putin said he’s on good terms with the Chinese leader.

"The President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping and I call each other ‘friend,’" Putin said. "We have personal relations of trust and they help to build relations in work."

Putin made the comments after he proposed to take a question from Chinese media. The Kremlin spokesman chose Xinhua even as the president pointed at a reporter from China Global Television Network.

Areas of cooperation

Trade between the two countries surpassed the pre-pandemic level to top $100 billion, Putin said. The countries also work together in nuclear energy, high-tech, space, culture and humanitarian area, he said.

"Asia is developing at a fast, efficient pace," the president said. "China is an undoubted leader of the global and Asian economy. Naturally, we are developing ties with China in this area."

China is Russia’s biggest trading partner, Putin said.

Russia and China engage with each other in reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.

"That’s the time until which we’ll supply all types of energy resources to China," Putin said. "We are ready to continue afterward because our life and our country don’t end in 2060."

That shouldn’t hurt carbon neutrality plans because it stipulates for the use of fossil fuels if emissions are properly absorbed, he said.