China welcomes Putin-Trump summit

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Europe

00:46

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Tuesday that China welcomed Monday's summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump as it will help in addressing global issues.

"Both Russia and the US bear important responsibilities for international peace and security," Hua said, adding that China is willing to see more US-Russian collaboration in the future.

"China hopes that the two sides will strengthen communication and expand cooperation, which is conducive to the cause of world peace and development and will help the international community to jointly meet common challenges."

US President Donald Trump (left) receives a football from Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) during a press conference after their meeting in Finland on July 16, 2018. /VCG Photo

Asked whether the meeting would affect China-Russia or China-US ties, Hua said China was "full of confidence in the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and the Sino-Russian relations will not be affected by any external factors."

"Our position on developing Sino-US relations has also been clear and consistent."

Trump and Putin agreed at their meeting to cooperate on the conflict in Syria, terrorism and nuclear disarmament.

July 17, 2018: The front pages of Russia's main newspapers feature pictures of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland. /VCG Photo

The goal of the two leaders was to improve Russia-US ties.

They first had a one-on-one meeting that has evoked mixed reactions from global experts, who highlighted its positive meaning while pointing out the difficulty addressing major problems between the world's two largest nuclear powers.

Although the summit was described by Trump as "very constructive" and by Putin as "first important step," experts said that major discrepancies between the two sides still prevail and will remain difficult to resolve.