By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted yesterday at 9:22pm, updated yesterday at 10:29pm
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. SPUTNIK / Portal
The quality of relations between Moscow and Beijing is “superior to that of the political and military unions of the Cold War era,” Vladimir Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday expressed his “great expectations” for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the eve of his visit to Russia. “Russian-Chinese relations have reached the highest point in their history and are getting stronger,” Vladimir Putin said in an article written for China’s People’s Daily and published by the Kremlin.
The quality of relations between Moscow and Beijing is “better than that of the political and military unions of the Cold War era,” he said. In relations between Moscow and Beijing “there are no borders or forbidden subjects,” according to the Kremlin master. “Our political dialogue is maximally open, while our strategic cooperation has become comprehensive and is entering a new era,” he said.
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“It is the relationship with China that is now the cornerstone of regional and global stability, fueling economic growth and serving as a guarantee for a positive agenda in international affairs,” he said. Under conditions in which the United States is pursuing a “double deterrent” policy towards Russia and China, “Moscow and Beijing are working to create a security system that is fair, open, inclusive and non-third-country, both regional and globally,” said the statement on Vladimir Putin.
He also condemned NATO’s attempts to expand its influence by “taking over the Asia-Pacific ceiling.” “Some forces are persistently trying to redistribute the Eurasian space into ‘exclusive clubs’ and military blocs aimed at slowing down the development of our countries and undermining our interests,” the Russian leader said. “But nobody comes there,” he assured. “We have great expectations of the next talks” with Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin said, emphasizing that he had “no doubt that they will give a strong new impetus to the entire bilateral cooperation”.
According to the Russian president, the meeting with Xi Kinping, who is expected to visit Moscow on Monday for a three-day visit, will also be an opportunity for him to “see again a good old friend” with whom he has the “warmest relations.”