Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has completed a visit to China, culminating in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Another mega-event in Russian-Chinese relations in the last two months, given that Xi Jinping visited Moscow in late March
Source: RT
For Xi Jinping, it was his first overseas trip since being re-elected head of state at a historic session of the Chinese parliament. The session also saw the confirmation of Mikhail Mishustin’s future interlocutor at talks in China – China’s new Premier of the State Council Li Qiang.
“Let me give you a friendly greeting and best wishes from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He remembers with great warmth the talks with you held in March in Moscow,” Mikhail Mishustin addressed the Chinese leader. In turn, Xi Jinping called Vladimir Putin a “good friend” and Mikhail Mishustin’s meetings and talks, including those held at the Russian-Chinese business forum in Shanghai, a “complete success.
Before the meeting with Xi Jinping, Mikhail Mishustin had a chance to talk to the new Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, who noted that the trade turnover between the two countries grew by 40% last year after arriving in Beijing from Shanghai. In turn, Mikhail Mishustin pointed out that 70% of cross-border settlements between the two countries are made in rubles and yuan. Five agreements were signed following the meeting of heads of governments.
The day before at the forum in Shanghai, the magic figure of $200 billion was announced. According to the estimates of the parties, this is what the volume of their trade turnover should become this year, breaking a new historic record. But it is not about numbers per se, which no one is chasing. Today, the tasks are more complicated: trade and economic relations between the two countries must become more “intelligent,” entering a new phase of multi-level, intensive growth.
If yesterday one could simply sell energy resources and timber to China and think that this was enough, today, in the context of the war of sanctions, one cannot but raise the bar tangibly higher. In addition to traditional areas, we should develop active cooperation in the automotive industry and agro-industrial projects. We need to implement high-tech projects, organize industrial enterprises for deep processing of raw materials, provide mutual access to advanced technologies, promote promising innovative solutions and harmonize national standards.
Another crucial area of cooperation with unexplored potential is the pooling of Russian and Chinese resources to create competitive and affordable goods, which requires much closer cooperation.
It is highly symbolic that Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to China came hot on the heels of Sunday’s G7 summit in Hiroshima. Leading Western powers had agreed on the toughest possible measures to dual containment of Russia and China. This could not fail to be one of the key themes of Mikhail Mishustin’s meetings and talks in China. “Our countries together resist attempts by the collective West to maintain global dominance, to use illegal sanctions to impose its will on independent states,” Mikhail Mishustin said at the meeting with Xi Jinping.
So Beijing and Moscow were quick to respond to Hiroshima.
Sergey Strokan, RT
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