Wang calls Putin’s China trip ‘crucial’

China and Russia should intensify cooperation and coordination to safeguard the interests of emerging markets and developing countries against the backdrop of international uncertainties, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.

Since the two countries have a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, they should work closer to uphold basic norms of international relations and international fairness and justice, Wang said in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Both countries should push for the promotion of the “Shanghai Spirit” at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Qingdao and achieving positive and pragmatic outcomes from the summit, sending a signal of unity to the world, Wang said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to pay a state visit to China and attend the SCO Summit from Friday to Sunday. This is Putin’s first visit since he assumed his fourth term as president in March and is the first meeting with President Xi Jinping this year, which, Wang said, is of “crucial importance” so the two leaders can formulate the next stage of development of China-Russia relations.

“We are ready to work with the Russian side to keep close coordination and cooperation, ensuring the visit achieves full success and fruitful outcomes and injects new impetus to China-Russia relations,” Wang said.

Echoing Wang, Lavrov said his country attached great importance to Putin’s state visit to China and was willing to work with the Chinese side to make sure the visit is a success.

Moscow agrees with Beijing in its judgment of the international situation and stays committed to strengthening coordination with Beijing within multilateral platforms such as SCO, BRICS, G20 and the United Nations, Lavrov said.

He said Russia stands firm with China, along with other new emerging markets, in opposing unilateralism and protectionism and safeguarding world peace and stability.

Both sides also exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula situation and agreed to make concerted efforts in realizing the denuclearization and long-lasting peace and stability of the peninsula.

China and Russia have set a good example for the new model of major-country relationships, Feng Yujun, a professor of Russian Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said in an interview.

The practical cooperation between the two countries in politics, trade, investment and the humanities has maintained a strong momentum in recent years, Feng said, adding good relations are of great significance in maintaining strategic stability for neighboring areas and the world as well.

However, Feng said, the deepening of China-Russia practical cooperation did not mean to counter any third party.