Strong Russia’s Ties a ‘Strategic Choice’ Made by Both Sides, Says China’s Xi

During a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that keeping tight connections with Russia is a “strategic choice” and urged further bilateral cooperation, according to official media.

Western officials have recently sharply criticized the two countries’ close connection, which has persisted in the face of Russia’s armed invasion of its neighbor Ukraine in early 2022.

In Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Wednesday, Xi said to Mishustin, “Maintaining and developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both sides based on the fundamental interests of the two peoples,” according to Chinese official broadcaster CCTV.

According to CCTV, Xi went on to say that the nations should “deepen cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, energy, connectivity, and other fields” and “continuously amplify the positive effects of high-level political ties.”

During a meeting with Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday, Mishustin said that relations between Beijing and Moscow had reached an “all-time high,” as per readouts released by both parties.

Two months after President Vladimir Putin made an unusual travel outside of Russia to meet with Xi, and one month after a top Chinese general was entertained in Moscow, Mishustin is scheduled to visit China on Tuesday and Wednesday.