Putin to visit China this year: Chinese FM

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Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed on Thursday at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow

Wang visited Russia on April 4 and 5 as the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi listens during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (not seen) in Moscow, Russia on April 05, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

Joint coordination in international affairs

The two ministers exchanged views on bilateral ties, the Korean Peninsula, anti-terrorism and other issues on the international and regional agenda, and committed to further joint coordination in international affairs so as to promote world peace and stability.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, the more complex the international situation is, the more the two countries need to work to strengthen their cooperation.

Wang said the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is continuing to develop at a high level this year under the strategic guidance of the leadership of both countries.

China firmly supports Russia's development in line with its national conditions and safeguarding of its justified rights by any legitimate means, he added.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a news conference after a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 5, 2018. /Reuters Photo

China-Russia relations are at their "best time in history," Wang said. He cited fruitful achievements in the pairing of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.

The two sides will also encourage local cooperation and exchanges during 2018 and 2019, the year of China-Russia local cooperation and exchange.

Call to protect global trade system

When asked how he looked at the trade disputes between the US and China, Wang said it is the US who insisted on releasing a proposed China tariff list. In this case, China was forced to take the appropriate countermeasures.

This is China's legitimate self-defense as a sovereign state, and it is also necessary in maintaining a rule based global trading system, he emphasized.

Wang noted China and the US are both great powers in the world and both sides should respect each other and treat each other equally. The US's move to enforce trade sanctions against China is wrong.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) meet in Moscow, Russia on April 05, 2018. /VCG Photo

He accused the US of practicing trade protectionism, which is shaking the global trading system based on rules, violating the WTO rules and hitting the just-revived world economy.

Wang added that the international community should oppose the US's attempt to use "America first" as an excuse to run unilateralism.

Denuclearization for the Peninsula is key

Wang said he and Lavrov have reached a new consensus after exchanging views on the current Korean Peninsula situation and argued that denuclearization of the Peninsula should be a key priority.

China and Russia are both close neighbors of the Peninsula and are members of the Six-Party Talks, so the Peninsula's peace and tranquility are closely related to the interests of both China and Russia, Wang pointed out.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart following their talks in Moscow on April 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

He also said China and Russia welcome and support the positive signals from the Peninsula and appreciate the efforts made by the South and the North. In terms of the scheduled summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea's (ROK) leaders, Wang said he hoped this meeting could bring nuclear issues back to the forefront of dialogue and negotiations.

As for how to solve the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issues through political means, Wang listed three points.

Firstly, all sides should commit to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Secondly, a peace mechanism should be established. He said resolving the DPRK's legitimate security concerns is also reasonable during this process.

Wang finally called for all parties to solve the issue in stages.

He explained, all parties, especially the US and DPRK, lack basic trust, and because of this all parties should make efforts to ensure the continuation of dialogue and progress.

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