Premier Li calls on China, Russia to maintain close collaboration, communication

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday called on China and Russia to maintain close collaboration and communication during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on the sidelines of the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), in Islamabad.

China and Russia uphold mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests, and practical cooperation has continued to advance, Li said, hailing the fruitful strategic cooperation and flourishing people-to-people and sub-national exchanges between the two countries.

China is ready to work with Russia to further implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and make due contributions to realizing the development and revitalization of both countries and promoting world prosperity and stability, he added.

Li said China will further deepen cooperation with Russia in traditional areas such as economy, trade and energy and advance cooperation in emerging areas, including the digital economy, to improve the level of bilateral collaboration in industrial and supply chains.

The two countries should promote SCO member states to uphold the Shanghai Spirit, strengthen mutual strategic trust, and adhere to mutual benefit and win-win results for a more dynamic SCO with more pragmatic cooperation and more universally beneficial results, said Li.

Mishustin said Russia is willing to work with China to enhance the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, deepen practical cooperation in fields such as energy, transportation and agriculture, and maintain close collaboration within frameworks such as the United Nations, the SCO and BRICS.