Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin

China and Russia capped off a fruitful year of cooperation with their annual year-end meeting, in which the two sides pledged to strengthen ties on a range of issues as record trade between the two sides exceeded targets. Iconic.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping said during a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Wednesday, December 20, that bilateral trade between China and Russia exceeded $200 billion in the first 11 months of the year – marking an achievement exceeding progress compared to the goal set by Mr. Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2019.

The two leaders then pledged to reach the $200 billion mark by 2024. Trade between the two countries continued to expand after the 2022 Ukraine war, increasing by about 30% in 2022 to reach a record $190 billion.

Xi said that the latest trade figures showed “strong resilience and broad prospects” for cooperation.

According to Xinhua news agency, Mr. Xi said during the meeting that the two sides should “maximize the benefits of mutual political trust” and “strengthen cooperation in economics, trade, energy and economic cooperation.” connect”.

According to a joint communiqué issued after the meeting between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin, China and Russia pledged to protect each other’s interests and “face challenges together.” in the context of geopolitical changes.

Beijing and Moscow reaffirmed that their bilateral relationship will not be affected by any third-party interference and pledged to strengthen coordination within the multilateral framework.

“Consolidating and deepening China-Russia relations in the new era is a strategic choice made by both sides based on their respective national conditions. It is in accordance with the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples… It is not aimed at a third party and is not influenced or influenced by outside influence,” the joint statement said.

The communique stated that Russia reaffirmed its support for “one China” and “opposes any form of Taiwan independence”, while China said it supports the territorial integrity of Taiwan. Russia and opposes interference in Russia’s internal affairs by outside forces.

The joint communiqué said China and Russia will continue to face challenges together and “strongly support each other in protecting each side’s respective core interests.”

Prime Minister Mishustin arrived in China on a two-day visit aimed at securing economic agreements with the country.

No official statements by China or Russia after the meeting with Xi and Li mentioned the conflict in Ukraine. But in a joint statement, the two countries said they oppose unilateral sanctions that have not been approved by the United Nations Security Council.

“(Sanctions) have a huge negative impact on the world economy and finances,” the statement said.

Mr. Mishustin’s visit comes as the European Union imposes a new round of sanctions on Moscow. Chinese companies have repeatedly been accused of evading sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia.

In the joint communiqué, the countries agreed to “closely coordinate” with each other in multilateral frameworks including Brics, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Group of 20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Pacific, East Asia Summit and Expanded Summit. Tumen Initiative.

They also jointly acknowledged Iran becoming a full member of the SCO this year, saying this would help expand cooperation within the framework of the regional political, security and economic organization.

Iran is also among six new members joining the Brics bloc as part of the group’s historic expansion, which is increasingly seen as a platform for China and Russia to compete with the Group of 7.

Beijing and Moscow also agreed to expand people-to-people exchanges, including in the fields of academia, health care and sports. They will also explore the mechanisms that allow for long-term visas for multiple purposes.

Speaking in Beijing on Monday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko noted that China is Russia’s largest source of tourists, and he expected tourism between the two countries to exceed 1 million trips this year.