China labels Xi’s Moscow visit ‘a complete success’

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have signed a multitude of cooperation documents

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow was a complete success, proving that China-Russia relations are rock solid, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.

The Chinese leader paid an official state visit to Moscow this week, attending the 80th anniversary Victory Day celebrations in the Russian capital. Xi held extensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which both sides signed a sweeping range of documents around furthering bilateral cooperation, as well as a joint declaration on global strategic stability.

“The visit looked back on history, looked to the future, inherited friendship, defended justice, and was a complete success,” Wang said in a press briefing on Saturday.

The visit underscored that “China-Russia relations are as solid as a rock, that the results of the victory of the Second World War cannot be challenged, and that the world needs justice instead of hegemony,” the top diplomat said.

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Xi and Putin held talks lasting nearly ten hours, and “signed more than 20 cooperation documents, injecting new strong momentum into the development of China-Russia relations,” he added.

The two powers are in their “best period in history,” Wang said. “Trying to drive a wedge between China and Russia can only be a pipe dream.”

The superpowers agreed to further economic, trade, and energy cooperation, as well as to boost collaboration in high-tech fields, including nuclear energy, aerospace industries and AI.

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During the talks, Moscow and Beijing underscored that they complement each other’s economic strong points and have significant room for development, Wang said.

Bilateral annual trade between Russia and China hit $245 billion last year, according to Chinese customs data.

Nearly all trade between Russia and China is now carried out in rubles and yuan, and is protected from influence by other countries, Putin noted during the talks.

In the face of global and historical changes, “it is important to remain trusted eternal friends in the spirit of seasoned friendship,” the Russian leader said in a press statement alongside Xi earlier this week.