Moscow, Nov. 10, (dpa/GNA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that cooperation between Moscow and Beijing plays an important role in stabilizing the international situation, in comments made following a meeting with China’s senior commander Zhang Youxia in Moscow.
The two are meeting for talks on expanding their military co-operation. The West accuses China of supporting Russia with weapons in its war against Ukraine.
Cooperation with China in the military high-tech sector is a top priority, Putin said in the Kremlin.
Zhang is deputy chairman of China’s Central Military Commission and thus the second-highest commander of the armed forces after state and party leader Xi Jinping.
He praised Moscow’s ability to withstand Western sanctions, according to a Russian translation. The West has slapped numerous sanctions on Russia due to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
After his commander’s meeting with Putin, Xi is also likely to be briefed on the current situation in Ukraine. He is planning a possible meeting with US President Joe Biden in San Francisco next week.
China, which describes itself as neutral in the conflict, has called for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
China and Russia want to expand their military relations and cooperation between their armies, Zhang Youxia told the Interfax agency according to a Russian translation. He spoke of an “all-encompassing partnership and strategic cooperation at the highest level.”
China currently has no defence minister after Beijing dismissed Li Shangfu a few weeks ago. No official reason has yet been given for his removal from office.
Recently, the US Treasury Department placed several Chinese companies on a sanctions list, accusing them of helping Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who also met with Zhang, explained that the military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing was not directed against third countries.
“Unlike some aggressive states in the West, we are not forging a military bloc,” said Shoigu, referring to NATO.
GNA