According to the Defense Minister, Moscow and Beijing coordinate their actions in the preparation of joint patrols and exercises both on a bilateral basis and in multilateral formatsMOSCOW, April 18.
/tass/. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu expressed confidence in strengthening and expanding military cooperation between Russia and the People's Republic of China in the spirit of unbreakable friendship. He said this on Tuesday during talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu in Moscow.
At the beginning of the meeting, Shoigu congratulated Li Shangfu on his appointment to the post of Defense Minister of the People's Republic of China and wished success in his responsible post in protecting the motherland, strengthening its defense capability and further modernization of the People's Liberation Army of China.
"I am convinced that your extensive experience of cooperation with the Russian Federation will contribute both to the development of the Armed Forces of the People's Republic of China and to the expansion of military cooperation between our countries. <...> I look forward to the closest and most fruitful cooperation with you in the spirit of unbreakable friendship between our countries, peoples, as well as the Armed Forces of Russia and China," Shoigu said.
He also stressed that the Russian side highly appreciates the fact that after being appointed to the post of Defense Minister, Li Shangfu chose Russia as the first country for his foreign trip, as did KHP Chairman Xi Jinping, who visited Russia in March on a state visit.
"The Moscow Summit has become the main political event in Russian-Chinese relations this year. President [of the Russian Federation] Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and the Chairman of the [PRC] Xi Jinping confirmed that the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation are at the highest level. They need to be developed by providing each other with strong support, including on national security issues," the Russian Defense Minister said.
Shoigu also said that the interaction between Moscow and Beijing has a stabilizing effect on the situation in the world.
"The coordination of our efforts in the international arena has a stabilizing effect on the situation in the world, contributes to the reduction of conflict potential. <...> It is important that our countries equally assess the essence of the ongoing transformation of the global geopolitical landscape," the head of the Russian military department said.
Shoigu also stressed that Russia and China coordinate their actions in the preparation of joint sea and air patrols, military exercises both on a bilateral basis and in multilateral formats - within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and SMOA Plus (the mechanism of interaction between the defense departments of ten ASEAN countries and nine partner states on dialogue, including Russia, China and the USA).
"I am convinced that today's meeting will serve to further strengthen the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the defense sphere and will allow us to openly discuss topical issues of global and regional security," the Russian Defense Minister stressed.
Earlier, the Chinese military delegation led by the Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China, Colonel General Li Shangfu, laid wreaths at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin.
