Chinese President Xi Jinping Pledges to Strengthen Partnership with Russia
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on July 15 that Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed plans to further strengthen strategic relations with Russia during a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The talks took place on July 15 in Beijing, ahead of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Council in Tianjin.
Xi praised Russia-China relations and affirmed his commitment to expanding the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between the two countries. He also welcomed the upcoming visit of President Vladimir Putin, describing the relationship with his Russian counterpart as a "long-standing and good friendship".
Xi and Lavrov discussed a number of important regional and international issues, although the Russian Foreign Ministry did not provide details. They also touched on bilateral political ties, including preparations for Putin’s visit to China. Putin is scheduled to attend a meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State, the organization’s top decision-making body, on September 1.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Lavrov met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the state of the comprehensive partnership between Russia and China. According to a press release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang said that China-Russia relations are "the most stable, mature and strategically valuable major-country relationship in the world."
Lavrov is scheduled to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers' Council on July 15. The council will discuss the organization's future direction and key regional and global issues, including preparations for the leaders' summit in September.
