“Russia and China are building bridges”, welcomes Vladimir Putin – RT in French

On the occasion of the visit of Xi Jinping, the Russian President delivered his vision of relations between the two countries in a Chinese media, welcoming the strengthening of a partnership which is based on a common strategic vision of a multipolar world. .

It’s in People’s Dailya leading Chinese newspaper, that Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 19 welcomed the progress of bilateral cooperation with Beijing, on the eve of the start of a multi-day visit by Xi Jinping to Moscow.

According to the Head of State, relations between the two countries have reached “the highest level in their history” and “surpass in quality the military-political alliances of the Cold War era”, the friendship between the Russian and Chinese peoples are illustrated by the good relations maintained by their two leaders since their first meeting in 2010, when Xi Jinping was not yet at the head of the Chinese state. “We have met around forty times and have always found the time and the opportunity to talk to each other in the context of various official or unofficial events”, specifies the Russian leader.

Acceleration of the economic partnership

According to Vladimir Putin, cooperation between Moscow and Beijing now has a global character and is based on several pillars, starting with the strengthening of economic exchanges. The Russian leader thus recalls that bilateral trade has doubled and believes that the target of 200 billion dollars in trade exchanges set by the two nations will probably be “exceeded this year instead of 2024”. He also notes that the share of settlements in national currency in mutual exchanges continues to increase, “which further strengthens the sovereignty of our relations”.

And, among long-term joint projects, the Russian president highlights the Russian-Chinese “Siberian Force” gas pipeline, calling the 3,000 kilometer long infrastructure a “contract of the century”. Vladimir Putin also welcomes the significant increase in Russian oil and coal exports to China, while Russian engineers are involved in the construction of new nuclear power plants in their neighbor, not to mention industrial and agricultural cooperation which is expanding.

Russia and China are building bridges

On the geopolitical level, the Russian president underlines that “unlike certain countries which claim hegemony”, Russia and China “are building bridges, literally and figuratively”, recalling that two new bridges have been erected on the Amur River to connect the border regions of the two countries. Beyond the symbol, Russia and China jointly promote multilateral structures such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS, structures that gain influence by welcoming “new partners and friends”.

Putin hails China’s ‘balanced stance’ on Ukraine conflict

In general, and as the diplomacies of the two countries had already affirmed on several occasions, Moscow and Beijing aim “to develop a fairer multipolar world order”, so the geopolitical landscape “changes radically”. Aiming at the United States, whose policy “is becoming more and more ferocious and aggressive”, Vladimir Putin recalls that Russia has been described as an “immediate threat” and China as a “strategic competitor” by the State Department, this which can only favor their rapprochement with the West.

This rapprochement is all the more favored by China’s position on the Ukrainian conflict, which Vladimir Putin considers “balanced”. He also welcomes the peace plan proposed by Beijing in February 2023 as “a significant contribution to the settlement of the crisis”, and reaffirms that Russia remains open to “a political and diplomatic resolution” of the conflict.

But, according to the Russian president, the Ukrainian crisis, “provoked and diligently maintained by the West”, is only the most striking manifestation of the latter’s desire “to maintain its international domination and to preserve order unipolar world”. According to him, it is “crystal clear” that NATO is striving beyond Europe to extend its activities to the Asia-Pacific region, referring to the Aukus partnership bringing together the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, directed directly against Beijing. For Vladimir Putin, these projects aim to “divide the Eurasian space” by means of military blocks which only aim to hinder the development of Russia and China.

“It will not work”, assures the Russian leader, emphasizing on the contrary the relations between Russia and China as a “cornerstone” of regional and world stability.