Xi lauds ties with Ukraine, Tajikistan

President marks 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the nations

President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky exchanged congratulations on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries on Tuesday, with both leaders vowing to promote bilateral ties.

In his message to Zelensky, Xi hailed the sound and steady development of China-Ukraine relations in the past three decades, saying that the two countries have intensified political mutual trust, carried out fruitful cooperation in various fields and strengthened cultural and people-to-people exchanges, which have improved the well-being of the two peoples.

He spoke of the mutual support between China and Ukraine in fighting COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, saying that their collaboration has demonstrated the profound friendship between the two peoples.

Xi said he is ready to work with Zelensky to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to deliver more results in bilateral ties.

In his message to Xi, Zelensky said that the development of Ukraine-China relations has maintained positive momentum, with close exchanges at all levels and fruitful practical cooperation between the two countries.

Ukraine is fully confident of the broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, he said, and it is willing to continuously deepen the traditional friendship between the two peoples, strengthen cooperation in various areas and push forward the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Also on Tuesday, Xi and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon exchanged congratulatory messages on the 30th anniversary of China-Tajikistan ties.

Xi said that the two countries’ relations have reached their best level in history. They have taken the lead in building a community of development and security in recent years, setting an example of jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

Both countries have worked together to deepen strategic mutual trust and supported each other on issues related to their own core interests, Xi said, adding that bilateral cooperation in various fields has developed robustly and high-quality cooperation on joint building of the Belt and Road has delivered results.

Xi said he is willing to work with Rahmon to move forward the countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership to achieve more results and build an even closer China-Tajikistan community with a shared future.

Rahmon said in his message to Xi that the two countries have accumulated creative experience in developing a high-level comprehensive strategic partnership.

The bilateral ties are a new type of state-to-state relations of high quality as they are based on mutual benefit, good neighborliness, mutual respect and mutual trust, the Tajik president said, adding that his country is satisfied with its relations with China and he is confident that bilateral ties will have a promising future.

Thirty years ago, China and five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan — established diplomatic ties in January 1992.

Speaking at a regular news conference on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin hailed the development of relations between China and the Central Asian countries and said China is ready to upgrade ties with them by deepening mutual political trust and expanding all-around mutually beneficial cooperation.