Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 20 arrived to Moscow for a three-day visit. On the first day, he had an informal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is the Chinese leader’s first overseas trip after his re-election to the highest office. How the meeting went and what the heads of the two states talked about – in the material of RTVI.
On the morning of March 20, Chinese leader Xi Jinping was greeted at Vnukovo airport with military honors and then, accompanied by security, taken to a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Their communication took place in two parts: first, the leaders of Russia and China met in a representative office in the first building of the Kremlin, then the meeting continued one-on-one. head around a working lunch.
Putin welcomed his Chinese counterpart to Moscow, addressing him as “dear friend” and also congratulated him on his re-election for another term as President of the People’s Republic of China.
“It became possible because the Chinese people and their representatives appreciated your work over the previous decades,” Putin said.
According to him, “in recent years, China has made a colossal leap in its development” and Russia is even “a little jealous”.
“China has created a very effective system to develop the economy and strengthen the state. It’s much more efficient than in many other countries in the world, that’s for sure,” the Russian president said.
He explained that the market mechanisms in China combine with “a fairly confident political course and bring visible results”. “I am sure that under your leadership, China will take new steps in its development and, of course, achieve the goals you have set for yourself,” added the head of state.
Putin also noted that Moscow and Beijing “have taken important steps” in developing bilateral relations. In particular, noted the Russian leader, “trade turnover between countries has more than doubled. “It was, in my opinion, 87 with a little – now it is already less than 200.185 billion dollars. We have a lot of common tasks and goals,” he said.
The president also recalled the plan for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine recently prepared in Beijing, noting that Moscow had “read carefully” this document and intended to discuss it later. According to Putin, the Russian authorities are open to the negotiation process.
The document proposed by the PRC contains 12 points, including a ceasefire, the start of peace talks, respect for sovereignty and an end to unilateral sanctions.
“In general, our interaction on the international stage, of course, contributes to strengthening the fundamental principles of world order and multipolarity,” the Russian president said.
Sergei Karpukhin / TASS
In turn, Xi Jinping, greeting his Russian counterpart, noted that he always calls him “dear friend”. The Chinese president added that he chose Russia as his first visit after his re-election, like ten years ago, because Russia and China are good neighbors.
“The Chinese side pays great attention to the development of China-Russia relations. Because there is a historical logic in it,” he explained.
The Chinese leader also expressed hope that in the presidential elections to be held in Russia in 2024, the country’s people will support Putin.
“I know that another presidential election will take place in your country next year. Thanks to your strong leadership, in recent years Russia has made significant progress in achieving the country’s prosperity. I am sure the Russian people will firmly support you in your good efforts,” Xi said.
Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that it was not about Putin’s nomination for the presidency, but about the Chinese leader’s assessment of those prospects.
“I am also very grateful to you that over the past few years, when it comes to the development and construction of China, you have always treated us positively, always supported us and, of course, we feel it, we we are grateful,” the PRC leader said.
Informal talks between Putin and Xi lasted 4.5 hours. At the end of the event, the Russian President personally escorted the Chinese President to the motorcade, where they spoke briefly and shook hands.
On Tuesday, March 21, the leaders of the two countries will meet again and hold full-scale talks, first in a restricted format and then in an expanded format. The parties will discuss not only economic cooperation, but also military-technical cooperation, and will also sign several bilateral agreements.