Beijing, Moscow to expand cooperation and people-to-people exchanges

Premier Li Qiang called on China and Russia to achieve a higher level of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes during his meeting on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

Highlighting the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, Li noted that President Xi Jinping had met with President Putin earlier in the day to make further plans and arrangements for the development of China-Russia relations.

Li said that China is willing to work with Russia to further expand trade, implement the upgraded bilateral investment agreement, and deepen cooperation in areas such as energy, agriculture, connectivity, and green and low-carbon development.

Efforts should also be made to strengthen the alignment between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, and ensure the safe, stable and high-quality development of China-Europe freight trains, he said.

Li called on both sides to organize cultural events within frameworks such as the China-Russia Years of Education, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in areas including youth, culture, tourism and sports, thereby continuously fostering mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

China is set to strengthen collaboration with Russia on multilateral platforms, actively implement the Global Governance Initiative and jointly uphold fairness and justice, he added.

On his part, Putin said that Russia is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, fully leverage the mechanism of regular meetings between the two prime ministers, and advance exchanges and cooperation in areas such as trade, energy, agriculture, transportation, logistics, scientific and technological innovation and people-to-people exchanges.

He also expressed Moscow's readiness to strengthen cooperation with Beijing within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, to jointly promote world peace, stability and prosperity.