In Moscow today, two meetings underlined the nature of the China-Russia collaboration. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Gen. Zhang Youxia today, which meeting included Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu who also met with Gen. Zhang.
Putin told Zhang: “Russia and China are not seeking to create any military alliances using Cold War-era templates and have been maintaining constructive ties which have become a serious stability factor globally. We also work in the economic sphere, and quite effectively. Trade and economic ties are developing at a good pace, and we are achieving the goals we have set for ourselves ahead of time. We work on the international platform, in international organizations, primarily in the United Nations. But we pay enough attention to our regional platforms, which are increasingly becoming global in nature. I mean the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS.”
For his part, Shoigu had a complementary message: “We, unlike some aggressive Western countries, are not creating a military bloc. Relations between Russia and China are an example of strategic cooperation, based on trust and respect. I am sure that today’s meeting will be another step to deepen the multi-profile links between our countries and military departments.”
