Xinhua published yesterday an interview with China’s Ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, as a prelude to President Xi Jinping’s March 20-22 meetings in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They highlighted Zhang’s characterization: “The more turbulent the world is, the more important it is for China-Russia relations to move forward steadily.”
Xinhua added: “The ambassador noted that no matter how the international situation changes, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era will continue to move forward at a higher level under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state…. Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the proposals for a community with a shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhang said that Russia has become China’s important partner in Belt and Road cooperation, and the two countries have joined hands in building a community with a shared future for mankind, while the internal momentum and special value of bilateral cooperation have become more evident.”
Zhang explained: “In the past 10 years, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has withstood the test of the volatile international landscape, and has become increasingly mature and tenacious.” He continued, as described by Xinhua: “The two countries have successfully blazed a path of mutual strategic trust and neighborly friendship between major countries, he said.” Then Xinhua directly quoted Zhang again: “President Xi’s state visit to Russia is a milestone for China-Russia relations in the new era. It will inject a strong impetus into bilateral relations, and push forward bilateral relations to continuously develop at a high level.”