April 6, 2023
BEIJING – Premier Li Qiang reaffirmed on Tuesday Beijing’s commitment to developing its ties with Moscow on the basis of no alliance, no confrontation and no targeting of any third party, and upholding mutual respect, trust and win-win outcomes.
Li made the remarks during a conversation over the phone with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Tuesday, the first talks the two held since Li took office as the premier last month.
Li highlighted the significance of President Xi Jinping’s successful three-day visit to Russia in March, during which Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly ushered in new plans for the development of bilateral relations and pointed to new directions in bilateral cooperation.
Li urged the governments of both countries to put in place the key consensus reached between the two heads of state and enable new outcomes from pragmatic bilateral cooperation.
Mishustin noted that ties between Russia and China are now at its historic best level, and that President Xi’s successful visit to Moscow opened a new chapter in bilateral ties.
Russia values the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and stands ready to enhance good neighborliness, deepen pragmatic cooperation and promote joint growth of both nations, he said.
During Xi’s trip to Moscow, the two nations had signed a statement to further the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era and another statement to lay out key directions of bilateral economic cooperation through 2030.
Bilateral trade hit a record high of $190.27 billion in 2022, up 29.3 percent year-on-year.
Vietnam cooperation
The premier also spoke with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh over the phone on Tuesday. Li said the two nations are a community with a shared future of strategic significance, and good neighborliness is in the major interest of both sides.
Beijing stands ready to work with Hanoi to translate into reality the visions jointly laid out by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, the premier said.
The two sides should enable the high-quality alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and the “two corridors, one economic belt” initiative, and use concrete actions to promote stability and prosperity of Asia-Pacific, Li said.
It is important to manage and control differences through dialogue and coordination, and jointly create a good external environment for the growth of both nations, he added.
The Vietnamese leader said the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership with China is the priority of Hanoi’s foreign policy.