BEIJING, April 17. /TASS/. China will not reduce the level of military cooperation with Russia because of external pressure from the West, China's Global Times newspaper said.

"Some Western media outlets seem to have been stepped on the tail, anxious to find some ‘unconventional signals’ in the regular exchanges between China and Russia. Some insist on interpreting it as a trip to ‘reshape the world order’ and ‘weaken American influence’, and even hype up the possibility of China ‘providing weapons to Russia’. These claims, if they are not out of malicious political intention, then are very unprofessional jargon. Obsession in hegemony and zero-sum games will only lead them to view normal interactions between other countries through the same ‘tainted glasses’, seeing everyone like themselves," the article said.

The newspaper noted that exchanges between the defense ministries of the two countries were important for maintaining mutual security confidence, mutual political trust, as well as for normal relations. In addition, according to the newspaper, high-level contacts between Chinese and Russian defense chiefs were a key factor in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and contributed to regional and global peace and stability.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on April 14 that Chinese National Defense Minister Li Shangfu will make his first foreign trip to Russia after his appointment to the post on April 16 to 18. During his trip, he is scheduled to hold talks with his counterpart Sergey Shoigu. According to the Defense Ministry, "the sides will discuss the condition and prospects for bilateral cooperation in the defense sphere as well as topical issues of global and regional security".

Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with the Chinese defense chief came shortly after the Russian-Chinese summit held during Chinese President Xi Jinping's March 20-22 visit to Moscow. On the first day, Putin and Xi Jinping held a one-on-one meeting that lasted 4.5 hours, and the next day they spent about 6 hours at talks in various formats in the Kremlin. The two leaders signed two joint declarations at the end of the visit.