Russia, China sign bilateral pacts
Russia and China have signed a set of agreements to deepen bilateral ties between both countries.
Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who signed the agreements with China on Wednesday during a trip to Beijing, described bilateral ties between both nations as “an unprecedented high”.
The memorandums of understanding signed included an agreement to deepen investment cooperation in trade services, a pact on export of agricultural products to China, and another on sports cooperation.
Mishustin, the highest ranking Russian official to visit Beijing since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and was due to meet with President Xi Jinping.
The visit comes after Russia and China reacted furiously to the Group of Seven nations’ weekend declarations that singled both countries out on a range of issues including Ukraine.
“Today, relations between Russia and China are at an unprecedented high level,” Mishustin told Li in their meeting in Beijing.
“They are characterised by mutual respect of each other’s interests, the desire to jointly respond to challenges, which is associated with increased turbulence in the international arena and the pattern of sensational pressure from the collective West,” he said.
“As our Chinese friends say, unity makes it possible to move mountains.”
Xi visited Russia in March and held talks with President Vladimir Putin, after committing to a “no limits” partnership just before the 2022 Russia attack on Ukraine.
Beijing has rejected Western attempts to link its partnership with Moscow to Ukraine, insisting that their relationship does not violate international norms.
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“China is willing to work with Russia to implement the joint cooperation between the two countries, and promoting pragmatic cooperation in various fields can take it to a new level,” Li told Mishustin.
Beijing has refrained from openly denouncing Russia’s invasion. But since February, Xi has promoted a 12-point peace plan, which has been met with scepticism from the West and cautiously welcomed by Kyiv.
Last week, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs Li Hui visited Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, kicking off a European tour that Beijing billed as its effort to promote peace talks and a political settlement of the crisis.
Russian news agency TASS reports that Li Hui is scheduled to visit Russia on Friday.
Zainab Sa’id
