Beijing, Dec 3 (PTI) China-Russia held a strategic security dialogue, conducting a comprehensive and in-depth communication on major issues concerning the interests of both countries, including “Asia-Pacific and neighbouring regions”.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Sergei Shoigu held the 20th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation in Moscow on Tuesday.
Wang, who is also a Politburo member of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and a close confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping, also held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The two sides conducted comprehensive and in-depth communication on major issues concerning the strategic security interests of both countries, reached new common understandings and enhanced strategic mutual trust, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told the media here on Wednesday. The meeting comes ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi on Thursday. While there was no reference to Putin’s visit to India, a detailed press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry here on the China, Russia dialogue said the “two sides also had in-depth communication and coordinated positions on other international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the maintenance of global strategic stability, major-country relations, and the situation in the Asia-Pacific and neighbouring regions, and reached broad consensus”.
China and Russia established very close ties since Xi came to power at the end of 2012, building up a close rapport with Putin with numerous visits and meetings that strengthened their informal alliance against the US. However, Moscow, for its part, has ensured its close ties with New Delhi remained intact even when Sino-Indian relations reached their lowest in 2020 following the Ladakh confrontation.
On Tuesday, Putin himself emphasised the importance he attaches to India and China.
Addressing the plenary session of the Russia Calling Forum in Moscow, Putin said, “I want to emphasise our goal to take our cooperation with the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of India to a qualitatively new level by strengthening its technological component,” Russia’s news agency Tass reported.
“We have established a substantive dialogue with Chinese President Xi Jinping on economic issues, and we will also discuss these topics in detail during my upcoming visit to India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Putin stated.
Also, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in his video interaction with the Indian media on Tuesday, spoke about how Moscow views its close ties with India and China.
To a question on Russia’s “limitless” friendship with China, Peskov said Moscow wants the same level of relationship with New Delhi as well.
Peskov said Russia respects bilateral ties between India and China and hoped that both countries are capable of resolving their issues in order to keep global stability and peace.
Considering the importance being attached to Putin’s visit to New Delhi, China will watch its outcome, specially on the defence cooperation, people who know the matter said. PTI KJV RD RD RD
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