Putin: Moscow, Beijing will remain strategic partners

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Russia and China will remain strategic partners in the long term regardless of the outcome of the upcoming Russian presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during his annual press conference.

"I am fully convinced that the development of relations with China enjoys a national consensus in Russia, and irrespectively of the outcome of the (Russian presidential) election campaign, Russia and China will remain strategic partners for an extensive historic perspective," Putin said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Da Nang, Vietnam, November 10, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

The 2017 press conference, Putin's 13th since he first became president in 2000, is one of his last major public appearances before the country's March 2018 presidential election.

Putin: Belt and Road Initiative is perfectly compatible

Putin reiterated that China's Belt and Road Initiative is perfectly compatible and can be incorporated with the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and Russia's proposals on a broad partnership in Asia.

He highlighted the two countries' major joint projects including projects in the Arctic, liquefied natural gas plants, high-speed railway, high-tech sector and space sector, especially the promising prospects of potential cooperation in developing the Northern Sea Route.

"If we guarantee the use of it all year round, and I hope we may reach this goal quite fast, the circulation of articles between Asia and Europe will be more economically feasible than through the existing routes... Both Russia and China are interested in this," said Putin.

Putin hails China's development agenda adopted at CPC national congress

Speaking highly of China's fast economic growth, Putin said that decisions adopted at the latest national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) reflect a positive agenda of China's development, which coincides with Russia's pursuit in its own development.

"The innovative clauses in the Charter of the CPC indicate that China is striving to be stable while guaranteeing development and to improve the life of its people on the basis of this development," he said.

Putin: China is Russia's largest trade partner

"China is the largest trade and strategic partner of Russia. The trade amount on the national level has exceeded 63 billion US dollars. Though it has decreased slightly due to the world economic crisis, I believe it will grow at a high speed and soon recover to at least the previous level," he added.

In the first three quarters of 2017, trade volume between China and Russia has reached 61.4 billion US dollars, increasing by 22.4 percent on a year-on-year basis, according to figures from Xinhua News Agency.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency