Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday framed their nations’ ties as a stabilizing force in a chaotic world as they met in Beijing.
Putin was greeted by Xi at a grand welcoming ceremony outside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, footage by state broadcaster CCTV showed.
In a meeting, Xi then told his “old friend” Putin that China-Russia relations were “conducive to peace.”
Photo: AFP
“China is ready to work with Russia to ... uphold fairness and justice in the world,” Xi added.
Putin, in turn, told Xi that the two countries’ relations were “stabilizing factors in the international arena.”
“Relations between Russia and China are not opportunistic and not directed against anyone,” Putin said, a Kremlin readout showed. “Together, we uphold the principles of justice and a democratic world order that reflects multipolar realities and is based on international law.”
Following closed-door meetings, the two leaders signed a joint statement on deepening their countries’ “comprehensive strategic partnership,” Xinhua news agency reported.
The Russian leader’s arrival came hours after he hailed his country’s troops for advancing on “all fronts” on the battlefield in Ukraine, following a major new ground assault.
The Kremlin said that Russia and China had agreed to oppose “further escalation” of the conflict in Ukraine.
“The parties note the need to stop any steps that contribute to the prolongation of hostilities,” the Kremlin’s readout of their joint statement said.
In a statement to media following talks with Putin, Xi said the two sides agreed on the need for a “political solution” to resolve the war.
“China’s position on this issue has always been clear,” Xi said in footage broadcast by Russian TV.
That position included “respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries” as well as “respecting the reasonable security concerns of all sides,” he added.
The remarks echo a paper issued by Beijing last year, which Western countries said could enable Russia to hold much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.
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