China and Russia emphasize 'priority partnership' during Putin's visit

Making his first foreign visit after being re-elected President, Vladimir Putin held talks in the capital Beijing and in Harbin, the administrative center of China's northeastern province of Heilongjiang, which borders Russia.

During his visit, the Russian leader held one-on-one and delegation-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Following their meetings, the two leaders issued a joint statement titled "Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for a New Era" on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations.

In the joint statement, the two countries defined each other as "priority partners" and sent a message that they would stand in solidarity as two major non-Western powers.

"INDEPENDENT POWERS BUILDING A MULTIPOLAR WORLD"

In the joint statement, Xi and Putin accused the US of acting with a Cold War mentality and creating inter-bloc confrontation, arguing that Washington "places the security of narrow groups above regional security, which creates a security threat for all countries."

Emphasizing that the relationship between China and Russia "goes beyond the military-political alliance model of the Cold War," the two leaders expressed the view that the world is now multipolar, and therefore resources and opportunities should be redistributed with consideration for emerging markets and developing countries.

Xi and Putin defined their countries as "independent powers in the process of building a multipolar world," stating, "China and Russia will combine their efforts to realize a multipolar world, promote the democratization of international relations based on equality and order, and build a fair and rational multipolar world by utilizing the full potential of their relations."

Stating that they would "protect the legitimate rights and interests of their countries" against Western sanctions pressure, the leaders underscored that they would "resist attempts to hinder the normal development of their bilateral relations, limit their economic, technological, and foreign policy potential, and interfere in the internal affairs of the two countries."

News Source: AA