BILATERAL TIES China, Russia Pledge to Enhance Extensive Co-Operation, Legislative Co-ordination
China’s top legislator Li Zhanshu and top Russian officials have agreed to further strengthen bilateral comprehensive co-operation and continue to promote legislative co-ordination for stronger ties.
Mr Li, chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, on Saturday completed an official visit to Russia, during which he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of both houses of the Russian parliament.
The Russian leaders congratulated China on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and hailed the great achievements China has made in the past seven decades. The two sides also exchanged congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. When meeting Putin, Mr Li said, under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, China-Russia relations have hit an unprecedented high and entered a new era of higher level and greater development.
Under the current international situation, China and Russia should strengthen mutual support, jointly build strategic support and security barriers between the two countries, and promote the construction of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, Mr Li said.
He called on the two sides to bring their political mutual trust and strategic cooperation to a new height, and push economic and trade co-operation to a new level, so as to move forward their comprehensive strategic partnership of co-ordination for a new era.
For his part, Putin lauded Russia-China ties as a model of relations between the world’s major countries.
He said the comprehensive strategic partnership of co-ordination for a new era between the two countries, built in compliance with the international law, is in the interests of the two countries and the two peoples.
Noting that the current bilateral co-operation in various areas is steadily advancing towards the established goals, Putin urged the two countries to further strengthen allround co-operation and develop their ties on the basis of existing achievements.
Mr Li also met with Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Russian Federation Council, or the upper house of Parliament, and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the Russian State Duma, or the lower house of parliament.
During his talks with the heads of Russian Parliament, Mr Li said the cooperation between legislative bodies, as an important part of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of co-ordination for a new era, is expected to prioritise the implementation of the consensus reached by the two heads of state.
According to him, the two sides should promote communication and collaboration for the sake of the development of bilateral ties and, in particular, strengthen the exchanges of experience on foreign-related legal construction, so as to effectively deal with unilateralism and protectionism as well as defend the national sovereignty, security and interests of the two countries. Mr Li also called for better synergy between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, further co-operation in high-tech fields as well as sub-national co-operation and people-to-people exchanges.