CHINA’S PRESIDENT XI JINPING HOLDS PHONE CONVERSATION WITH RUSSIA’S PRESIDENT PUTIN

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China welcomes the positive efforts made by Russia and relevant parties to resolve the Ukraine crisis. Xi made the remarks during a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Xi noted that soon after the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, he had outlined China’s basic position, including four points about what must be done to address the crisis.

The Chinese president proposed that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter must be fully observed, and the legitimate security concerns of all countries need to be taken seriously.

During Monday’s phone call, Xi also noted that last September, China, Brazil, and other Global South countries launched the group of Friends for Peace to foster the atmosphere and conditions for the political settlement of the crisis.

Putin provided an update on the latest interactions between Russia and the United States and Russia’s principled position on the Ukraine crisis. He said that Russia is committed to removing the root causes of the conflict and reaching a sustainable, long-term peace plan. The two leaders also agreed to maintain communication and coordination in various ways.

‘Good neighbors, true friends’

During the phone conversation, Xi said that both history and reality show that China and Russia are destined to be good neighbors and that the two countries are true friends who share weal and woe, support each other and pursue common development.

He said the bilateral relationship has a strong internal driving force and unique strategic value. “It is neither targeted at any third party nor affected by any third party.”

Noting that both countries have long-term development strategies and foreign policies, Xi said that no matter how the international landscape changes, the China-Russia relationship shall move forward at its own pace, contribute to the two countries’ respective development and revitalization, and inject stability and positivity into international relations.

Putin, for his part, said that developing relations with China is a strategic choice made by Russia from a long-term perspective.

“It is not an act of expediency, not affected by any temporary incidents, and not subject to interference by external factors,” he said.

Under the current situation, close communication between Russia and China aligns with the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era and will send a positive message that Russia and China play a stabilizing role in international affairs, Putin said.