Putin lauds ties ahead of Beijing visit

China is constructively undertaking international economic cooperation and making contributions to the connection of Europe and Asia in order to maintain sustainable development, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Putin arrived in China on Thursday to participate in the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

He made the remark in an interview with Chinese media before departing from Russia. Putin said the forum has proved that the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping has brought broad development opportunities based on equal partnership to the international community.

"There is no doubt that it's very important for China to implement this ambitious initiative. It has ensured participating countries of benefits from cooperation under the BRI, and they can expand their economic potential, improve their competitiveness and raise people's quality of living," Putin said.

Xi and Putin reached an agreement for the integration of the BRI and the Eurasian Economic Union in May 2015, and Putin said in the interview that the agreement has been hailed by leaders of the EEU, which also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

China and the EEU signed a cooperation agreement in May, and the Russian government expects both sides will begin working on coordination soon.

Putin suggested that the Eurasian Economic Commission should maintain a practical cooperation mechanism with the Chinese government and said both sides should establish a joint committee to work out specific measures for the integration of the BRI and EEU.

"The cooperation (between the BRI and EEU) should give priority to such projects as transportation, energy, ecology, trading, finance and the digital economy," he said.

Chinese and Russian leaders have maintained frequent contact, and Putin said he cherishes his friendship with Xi and their relationship based on mutual respect, and that the frequent contact is conducive to expanding bilateral cooperation between China and Russia in political, trade, military, technological and cultural areas.

"This kind of mutual trust helps Russia and China effectively coordinate their standing on major international and regional issues and find common solutions for the most critical challenges of our time," Putin said.

The two presidents met four times in 2018. In June, Putin made his first state visit to China after he was re-elected as Russia's top leader, and he was awarded China's first Friendship Medal in appreciation for his efforts to deepen political and strategic mutual trust, and for his enhancement of the friendship between the two peoples.

"This time I will meet President Xi in Beijing, both during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and under the China-Russia presidential bilateral meeting mechanism. I am also looking forward to President Xi's visit to Russia this year," Putin said.

In 2019, China and Russia will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. Putin said the two countries have their best bilateral relationship ever, and it was achieved by hard work from both parties over the past 30 years. China and Russia established their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and resolved sensitive problems including border issues.

Putin said Sino-Russian coordination is stable and sustainable, and it conforms to the interests of both peoples. He added that the coordination meets the requirements of international and regional security needs.

"Fundamental to Sino-Russian political dialogue is mutual trust and respect. The two countries take note of each other's attitudes and positions and have various communication and cooperation mechanisms, including high-level meetings and exchanges of experts."

Putin highlighted the close bilateral ties in areas of military and military technology cooperation, which he said are symbols of high-level mutual trust. China and Russia regularly hold joint drills and share their experiences in military strengthening.

Putin welcomes Chinese tourists to Russia. He noted that Chinese tourists account for the largest proportion of all foreign visitors in Russia.

The number of visitors from China to Russia in 2018 reached 1.7 million, almost doubling over the past five years, Putin said.

Putin said that people-to-people exchanges between the two countries play a significant role in bilateral relations, and a series of events have been held by both governments featuring each other's culture for yearlong periods.

"I believe the potential of our partnership is endless, and in the coming celebration of the 70th anniversary of establishing bilateral diplomatic relations, we will have more win-win talks in various fields," Putin said.