President Xi talks on regional issues with Russian media ahead of state visit

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Chinese President Xi Jinping talked about regional issues and China-Russia relations in an interview with Russian media on Monday, ahead of his two-day state visit to Russia on July 3-4 at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

THAAD

During the interview, President Xi pointed out that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) installation in South Korea has jeopardized the strategic balance in the region and posed threat to strategic security interests of countries including China and Russia.

Xi also said that both China and Russia opposed such move and will take necessary measures, jointly or individually, to safeguard their national security interests and the regional strategic balance.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin wave as leaders pose for a family photo during the Belt and Road Forum, at the International Conference Center in Yanqi Lake, north of Beijing, on May 15, 2017. /AFP Photo

Korean Peninsula issue

Regarding the Korean Peninsula issue, China has proposed a dual-track approach of advancing denuclearization and establishing a peace mechanism in parallel, a move which Russia said they will be supporting.

Apart from Russia, Xi expressed his hope that other parties involved could join the two countries' push for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and take up respective responsibilities to tackle the issue as soon as possible.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Astana on June 8, 2017. /AFP Photo

China-Russia relations at "best time in history"

In the interview, Xi highly praised China-Russia relations, saying they are at their "best time in history," noting the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

"President (Vladimir) Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi added.

Along with that, the two countries also boast a comprehensive bilateral cooperation which stretches to multiple fields including energy, trade, investment, high technology, culture, infrastructure and agriculture.

Xi highlighted bilateral efforts underway to boost alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, and expressed his expectation to the upcoming state visit to Russia, which he believed will "inject new impetus to the development of the China-Russia relations."

(With inputs from Xinhua)