TSAMTO, April 17. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with a member of the State Council, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu in the Kremlin on April 16. The meeting was also attended by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Below, the open part of the conversation is given in the statement of the Kremlin's press service.
Vladimir Putin: Dear Comrade Minister, I am very glad to see you.
You have arrived in Russia after the visit of our great friend, my friend, the President of the People's Republic of China, Comrade Xi Jinping, to our country. I want to emphasize once again that the visit was very productive. We also touched, of course, on cooperation between the military departments.
There is a very good development of relations between our countries in all areas – in the economy, social, cultural, and educational sectors. But we also work actively through the military departments, regularly exchange useful information for us, cooperate in the field of military-technical cooperation, conduct joint exercises, and in different theaters: in the Far Eastern region, in Europe, at sea, on land, and in the air. I think this is, of course, another important area that strengthens the exceptionally trusting, strategic nature of our relations – relations between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China.
We are glad to see you. I know that you have a good working program, quite large. I am sure that your visit will be held at the highest level.
Welcome to Russia.
Li Shangfu (as translated): Dear Mr. President!
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. I know that, firstly, today is the weekend, and this weekend you found the time to receive me. It's a great honor for me.
First of all, let me convey to you the warmest greetings and best wishes from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In 2017, there was a visit of a military delegation to Russia as part of a meeting of the Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation, and I was part of it then. And today I am back in Russia. This is a great joy for me.
Recently, cooperation between Russia and China in the military and military-technical fields has been developing very well. This makes a great contribution to ensuring global and regional security.
Today I arrived in Russia. This is the implementation of your agreements with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which you reached during his March visit to Moscow. After I took up the post of Defense Minister of the People's Republic of China, this is my first foreign visit. I specifically chose Russia for this in order to emphasize the special nature and strategic importance of our bilateral relations.
Relations between our countries have been going on for more than 70 years, between our armed forces, and they are getting stronger day by day. Naturally, the diplomacy of the leaders plays a key role in this, you set strategic goals for our development. In addition, your personal friendship with the President of the People's Republic of China plays a big role in this, and everyone knows about it here in China.
We have calculated that you have already held 40 meetings with the President of the People's Republic of China. In 2013, he visited Russia for the first time after he took the post of President of the People's Republic of China, and ten years later, after being re–elected head of the Chinese state, he arrived in Russia again - as his first foreign visit. You have held very intensive negotiations with him and have determined the directions of our cooperation for the future.
We have very strong relations, they surpass the military-political alliances of the Cold War, they are built on the principles of non-alignment, non-confrontation with a third party, and they are very stable. Under your strategic leadership and Chinese President Xi Jinping, we are actively developing cooperation in practical areas, and our relations have already entered a new era.
For 13 years, China has been Russia's first trading partner. And as we develop our relations, we understand the responsibility that lies on our powers, especially taking into account that the biggest changes in the last 100 years are taking place now, we stand shoulder to shoulder and work to improve the well-being of our peoples. We also take into account that the recovery of the global economy is very slow, the world is very restless, peace is very much in demand, peaceful relations between countries are in demand.
Mr. Xi Jinping has put forward several major initiatives, including the civilizational initiative, the Global Development Initiative. As far as we know, the Russian side is positive about these initiatives. We also have warm relations between the peoples. Cooperation is developing at all levels, and we will continue such cooperation in the interests of development and prosperity of the whole world.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much and convey your best wishes to President Xi Jinping.
