“Friendly” meeting of Jinping and Putin ended: key statements from leaders following the results
The leaders announced plans to continue economic cooperation and deepen partnerships.
After an informal meeting on March 20, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held formal talks in Moscow. After the meeting, the leaders made speeches, and the outcome of the talks was also reported by Chinese state media.
At meetings, the leaders called each other “dear friend.” Both also described the negotiations as successful.
As a result, they signed two joint documents (on plans for economic cooperation and deepening partnerships) and publicly disclosed some plans for further cooperation. They also spoke about the results of the discussion of the bloody war of the war against Ukraine waged by Russia.
War in Ukraine – Key Statements by Xi and Putin
During Xi’s visit to Moscow yesterday, as the Chinese side reported, “there was an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukrainian issue.” After today’s meeting, Putin said he believes it is possible for the “Chinese peace plan” proposed by Beijing last month “to be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, when the West and Kiev are ready for it.”
“We believe in many points of the peace plan put forward by China,” the Russian president said.
According to Putin, in matters of overcoming a number of international problems, “the positions of Russia and China coincide and are very close.”
“China and Russia oppose any state infringing on the interests of other countries for the sake of military, political or economic gain,” the leader of the aggressor country said.
Chinese state media also writes that at the meeting, both leaders said that attempts to “add fuel to the fire” and “confrontations between blocks” must be prevented.
Economic cooperation and partnership – proposals from Putin and Jinping
Putin and Xi signed a declaration on key aspects of cooperation until 2030. After the meeting, they publicly summed up the results of the last 10 years of cooperation and talked about future plans.
In particular, Jinping said that over the past 10 years he has developed a close relationship with Putin, and over the past year, cooperation between China and Russia has “achieved great results.” In particular, as Xi noted, trade between the two countries is now 116% more than 10 years ago.
“We agreed that the relationship between our two countries goes far beyond ourselves. They are crucial to the world order and the future and destiny of all mankind. … Since last year, Sino-Russian comprehensive practical cooperation has achieved great results. It continues to show that this cooperation has a solid foundation, is very complementary and very strong,” Xi said.
The leaders also said that China and Russia should strengthen and expand economic and trade cooperation. Putin said that Russia has the potential to significantly increase meat and grain exports to China. In addition, Putin invited Chinese companies to replace the Western ones that left his country because of the war of conquest it launched. According to him, Moscow is ready to support Chinese business.
The Russian President also called for the expansion of the use of yuan by Russian companies – in settlements with the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. As you know, after the start of a full-scale war, Russian companies actively switched to settlements in Chinese currency (instead of the dollar and the euro).
Putin also said that the Russian Federation is ready to increase uninterrupted oil supplies to China.
Xi also spoke about cooperation earlier today in a meeting with Russian Premier Mikhail Mishustin. He emphasized that countries should “jointly protect energy security” and “expand bilateral trade exchange.”
The reaction of Ukraine and partners to Jinping’s visit to Moscow
Last week, a court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. Xi became the first leader to meet with Putin since then.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused China of trying to provide “diplomatic cover” for Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine. In particular, he reacted harshly to the fact that at the same time there were no statements from Beijing condemning the crime of the Russians.
On the eve of the meeting, the Ukrainian side said it expected Xi to use his influence with Putin to force him to end the war. Great Britain also called on Jinping to influence Moscow.
On the morning of March 21, during a telethon, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the OPU, predicted that Xi and Putin would sign a series of bilateral cooperation agreements. He also noted that “after that, it will be obvious whether Jinping is really ready to actively moderate the topic of war and peace and Ukraine, or these are just elements of Chinese pressure that were undertaken on the eve of the visit to Moscow.”