Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right). Figure: Reprinted from China News Agency (file photo)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has suffered another major setback in nearly seven months as Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on his first foreign visit in more than two years to the ancient Uzbek city of Samarkand to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. , Ukraine has been victorious frequently, Russia’s military offensive has been frustrated, and China intends to invade Taiwan, persecute the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and disintegrate the democratic system in Hong Kong. Western countries are also disgusted with China. According to Chinese state media CCTV, Xi Jinping said in a meeting with Putin on the 14th that China is willing to “strongly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests” with Russia; Putin said the comprehensive strategic cooperative relationship between Russia and China is “solid as a mountain” .
Earlier, Sputnik reported that Putin told Xi during the talks that Russia “values China’s balanced position on the Ukraine crisis” and that China’s “concerns on the Ukraine issue are understandable.” The CCTV report did not mention anything related to the Ukraine issue, but highlighted the “one China” principle. According to reports, Putin claimed that Russia firmly adheres to the “one China” principle and condemns “individual countries” for taking provocative actions on issues involving China’s core interests.
The report continued, Xi Jinping appreciated Russia’s adherence to the “one China” principle, reiterated that “Taiwan is a part of China” and stressed that China firmly opposes “Taiwan independence separatist forces” and external interference, and that no country has the right to be “a judge on the Taiwan issue.” . China is willing to deepen practical cooperation with Russia in trade, agriculture, connectivity and other fields. The two sides should strengthen coordination and cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, CICA, BRICS and other multilateral structures, promote solidarity and mutual trust among all parties, expand practical cooperation, safeguard the security interests of the region, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries and emerging market countries. .
Putin responded that many changes are taking place in the world today, the only constant is “Russian-Chinese friendship and mutual trust”, and the comprehensive strategic cooperative relationship between Russia and China is “solid as a mountain”. Both Russia and China advocate the promotion of a fairer and more equitable international order, setting a model for international relations. Russia is willing to consolidate and deepen bilateral and multilateral communication and coordination with China, and expand cooperation in key areas such as economy, trade and energy. He is also willing to work with China to promote the SCO member states to continue to deepen cooperation on the basis of the principle of “non-interference in each other’s internal affairs” and to build an authoritative platform for maintaining regional security and stability. In addition, Putin also wished the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China “a complete success”.