Interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin: Jointly building a bright future for Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era BRICS | Xi Jinping | Russia-China
In an exclusive written interview with reporters on the eve of his state visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia and China promote the prosperity and development of both countries by expanding equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic and cultural fields; and promote the construction of a fair multi-polar world by strengthening foreign policy coordination. Order, these determine the bright future of Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era.
Putin said that contemporary Russia-China relations transcend ideology. No matter how the political situation changes, the multi-level development of bilateral relations is a conscious strategic choice. This choice is based on the two countries' widely compatible fundamental interests, deep mutual trust, strong public support and The sincere friendship between the two peoples. The two countries work together to safeguard sovereignty, defend territorial integrity and security.
"In a broader sense, we promote the prosperity and development of Russia and China by expanding equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic and cultural fields; we promote the construction of a fair multi-polar world order by strengthening foreign policy coordination. These all determine A bright future for our comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era," Putin said.
He said that the Russia-China partnership has always been based on the principles of equality, mutual trust, mutual respect for sovereignty, and consideration of each other's interests. A wise and far-sighted politician like President Xi Jinping plays a unique and important role in the development of bilateral relations.
"President Xi Jinping and I first met in March 2010. Since then, we have met and spoken on the phone frequently. He has shown a humble, friendly, candid and pragmatic demeanor in his communication." Putin said that every meeting between the two not only It is an exchange between old friends, and the two sides will also have a fruitful exchange of views on the most pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda.
Putin recalled that in 2013, President Xi Jinping, as the head of state of China, made Russia the first country he visited. After being re-elected as President of the People's Republic of China in March last year, President Xi Jinping's first overseas trip was a state visit to Russia. We spent nearly five hours together, having in-depth one-on-one conversations, and then attended a rich formal event the next day.
"It was the unprecedented high level of partnership between the two countries that made me decide to choose China as the first country I would visit after officially taking office as President of the Russian Federation." Putin emphasized.
He said that the people of Russia and China have a long and profound tradition of friendship and cooperation, which is also one of the most important foundations of bilateral relations. Today, Russia-China relations have reached an all-time high, and even in the face of severe international situations, relations between the two countries continue to strengthen.
Putin pointed out that this year is a special year for both countries. October 1 will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. China is meeting this important historical moment with outstanding achievements. As a time-tested and reliable friend, Russia is pleased with China's achievements. Over the past three-quarters of a century, the two countries have traveled a long and sometimes tortuous road, fully drawing on the historical experience of the different development stages of their relations. Today, the two countries realize that their complementary advantages are injecting strong impetus into the comprehensive and rapid development of bilateral relations.
Talking about bilateral pragmatic economic and trade cooperation, Putin pointed out that Russia-China economic and trade relations have developed rapidly and demonstrated their continuous ability to respond to external challenges and crises. In the past five years, the trade volume between the two countries has doubled. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years, and Russia will rise to fourth place in the ranking of China's trading partners in 2023. More than 90% of settlements between companies in the two countries are conducted in local currencies.
Putin said that the two sides are continuing and systematically carrying out strategic cooperation in the energy field, and some new large projects are being launched. Russia has good momentum in supplying agricultural products to the Chinese market, initiatives in the fields of investment and production are being implemented, and the transport and logistics corridor between the two countries is operating steadily and growing.
“I am confident in the grand prospects of Russia-China economic relations.” Putin emphasized, “Russia and China will strive to carry out closer collaboration in industry and high technology, space and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and other innovative fields. We will also continue to create good legal and organizational conditions for this and develop transportation and financial infrastructure.”
This year and next are China-Russia Cultural Years. Putin believes that Russia and China have been closely connected for generations, not only because the two countries share a long common border, but also because the two sides also maintain close cultural ties and personnel exchanges. Today's Russian society is very interested in Chinese culture and art. Currently, there are approximately 90,000 primary, secondary, and university students in Russia studying Chinese. Tours and exhibitions of creative groups involving Chinese artists have achieved great success. Tourist traffic continues to surge, with more than 730,000 Russian citizens visiting China last year.
"I know that the Chinese people are also eager to get a closer understanding of Russian literature, art and traditions. Our outstanding theater troupes and musicians regularly perform in China, and the museum holds various exhibitions. We are very happy to continue to show our Chinese friends the richness of multi-ethnic Russia Colorful history, creation and cultural heritage,” Putin said.
Putin also shared his personal views on Chinese culture: "I have always been keenly interested in further exploring the unique and unique Chinese traditions, especially during my visits to China. I know a lot about Chinese martial arts, which are very popular in Russia. Popular. I have a lot of respect for Chinese philosophy, and some of my family are studying Chinese.”
Putin spoke highly of the cooperation between Russia and China on the international stage. He pointed out that the two countries hold similar or identical positions on key issues on the international agenda. Both countries support the dominant role of international law, advocate building balanced, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable global and regional security, and at the same time play the core coordinating role of the United Nations. Neither Russia nor China accepts the West’s attempts to impose an order based on lies, hypocrisy and fabricated rules.
Currently, multilateral mechanisms such as the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are uniting the countries of the "Global South" in the spirit of equality, openness, transparency, and inclusiveness to promote the reform of the global governance system. Putin said that with our active participation, some multilateral organizations and mechanisms independent of the West have been established and are operating smoothly. Their operation is based on the principles of equality, fairness, openness, respect and consideration of each other's interests.
“The SCO and BRICS are convincing examples of this mutually beneficial cooperation. They have firmly established themselves as key pivots in the emerging multipolar world order. The SCO and BRICS have become a thriving An authoritative international platform within the framework of which the various actors are carrying out constructive collaboration in the political, security, economic and humanistic fields. This is evident from the growing interest of other countries in the activities of the SCO and BRICS and its members. The number is increasing," Putin said.
Taking membership expansion as a new starting point, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has entered a new era of "Greater BRICS Cooperation". Russia holds the rotating chairmanship of the BRICS this year. Putin said that Russia’s work as the rotating chairman of the BRICS is progressing steadily. Work is in full swing in the three major areas of cooperation: political security, economics and finance, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Various departments, industrial circles and all sectors of society in Russia have prepared an extremely rich agenda. A total of more than 200 events are planned during the term of the rotating presidency.
Putin said that one of Russia’s main goals as the rotating chair of the BRICS is to promote the organic integration of new members into the BRICS and actively help them integrate into existing cooperation mechanisms. Another focus is to continue to carry out coordination work to enhance the authority of BRICS countries in global affairs and enhance their ability to promote the construction of a more democratic, stable and just international relations system.
"BRICS cooperation adheres to the spirit of mutual respect, equal treatment, and open consultation. This is why the mechanism is so attractive to countries in the 'Global South' and 'Global East'. In the view of these countries, BRICS is a country that can A platform for their voices to be heard and valued,” Putin said.
When evaluating China's propositions and efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis politically, Putin said that Russia positively evaluates China's position. China is very clear about the root causes of the Ukraine crisis and its global geopolitical impact. This is also reflected in the 12-point proposition of "China's Position on the Political Resolution of the Ukraine Crisis" released by China in February 2023. The concepts and recommendations set out in the document demonstrate the sincere desire of our Chinese friends to contribute to stabilizing the situation.
Putin emphasized that the four principles for peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis recently proposed by President Xi Jinping are an organic complement to the above-mentioned documents. The pragmatic and constructive measures proposed by China are the development of ideas such as the need to abandon the Cold War mentality, adhere to the principle of indivisibility of security, abide by the norms of international law, and abide by the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, focusing on their comprehensiveness and interrelationship.
Putin said that Russia has never refused negotiations and hopes to resolve this conflict comprehensively, sustainably and justly through peaceful means. "We are open to dialogue on Ukraine, but these negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in this conflict, including those of Russia."
Putin also introduced the plans and goals for national construction during the new term. He said that the tasks set out in the State of the Nation Address delivered on February 29 this year, such as promoting the development of all regions of the country, promoting economic and social development, increasing the birth rate, providing support to families with children, and eradicating poverty and inequality, are of great importance. practical significance. “We understand the scale of these tasks and how to solve them. We have the unity of the people, the necessary resources and potential, and the rich experience of collaboration between the state, business and civil society that are needed for this.”
Putin pointed out that Russia is now among the top five countries in the world based on purchasing power parity. Our current task is to become the fourth largest economy in the world, the most important of which is to improve the quality and efficiency of development in all fields and to enhance the well-being of Russian citizens.
Putin stressed that he believed Russia could realize all strategic plans. "In this regard, we are willing to cooperate with partners from all over the world, including our good neighbor and reliable friend - China."
