Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed Moscow’s ties with Beijing as an “example for the 21st century” during talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Putin spoke with Xi by videoconference for the second time this year as their countries continue to see high tensions with the West over a range of thorny military and political issues.
“I consider these relations a real example of interstate cooperation in the 21st century,” Putin said.
“Our countries have formed a new model of cooperation,” he told Xi, emphasizing “non-interference in internal affairs and respect for each other’s interests, the determination to turn our common border into a ‘belt’ of eternal peace and good-neighborliness” as foundations of Russian-Chinese ties.
Putin's foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov described the 1.5-hour call as a conversation between "two colleagues and two friends."
According to Ushakov, Xi "supported Russia's demands" for NATO to stop expanding toward Russian borders. The Kremlin promised to "keep Beijing in the loop" on the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Ushakov said.
Putin also lauded Russian-Chinese coordination on the world stage as “a significant factor of stability in international relations.”
Xi and Putin have met 36 times since the Chinese leader assumed his role in 2013, including another videoconference last June.
Putin, who has accepted Xi’s invitation to attend the Beijing Olympics, expressed hopes to meet the Chinese leader in person in February 2022.
