/ world today news/ During his two-day visit to China, Mikhail Mishustin met with Xi Jinping, the head of the State Council Li Qiang and high-ranking politicians. This is the Prime Minister’s second visit to Beijing in a year, demonstrating the special relationship between the countries. What was it about this time?
Gala reception
After his re-election in March as President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping made his first overseas trip to Russia. The West was very excited about his communication with Vladimir Putin. But the high-ranking guest also met with Mishustin, personally inviting him to China. In May, a government delegation arrived in Beijing. The main task then was the development of concrete measures for the implementation of the March agreements. There was also a conversation with Xi.
Mishustin’s current visit took place within the framework of the 28th regular meeting of the heads of government of Russia and China. We were greeted solemnly: a red carpet, an honor guard, a representative delegation. As noted by Chinese political commentator Tan Bohu on the resource “Sohu”, not every foreign minister is honored with this. “It’s second only to the way Putin has been received,” he wrote.
On December 19, talks were held with the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Li Qiang. That day was overshadowed by the news of earthquake victims in Gansu and Qinghai provinces. “Please convey words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, wishes for a speedy recovery of all the wounded and injured,” Mishustin addressed his colleague. And he added: by Putin’s decision, Russia is ready “to provide assistance to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake through our Ministry of Emergency Situations, if our Chinese friends need it.”
Then they turned to the main topic. “Today, Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction are at the highest level in their centuries-old history and continue to develop dynamically,” the guest assured. And he specified that intergovernmental meetings are very important for solving the strategic tasks agreed by Putin and Xi.
Premier Li recalled that next year, China and Russia will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. “We are ready with our Russian partners on the occasion of this anniversary, steadfastly guided by agreements at the highest level, to continue to strengthen the age-old friendship between the two countries,” he said.
Numbers and agreements
The achieved results were discussed at the intergovernmental meeting. “Trade turnover once again broke a record and generally reached the value set by the top leaders of our countries,” Li Qiang said. “We believe that in 2024-2025 and beyond, bilateral trade will continue to expand.” The target value is $200 billion. Putin also spoke about her real achievement during his October visit to China.
Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere is actively developing. Now there is a crossover year of sports, and 2025 will be a year of culture.
But most importantly, Russia and China are successfully overcoming global challenges together. “The trials we are going through now have made us stronger. It should be noted that we have a lot in common. Of course, this is a peaceful coexistence. We demonstrate a model of cooperation that should exist between major countries. And it plays a very important role in international politics,” Li Qiang emphasized.
Mishustin confirmed that Moscow and Beijing “have developed a special model of interstate cooperation” based on “mutually respectful, equal, trusting dialogue.”
One of the achievements is the acquisition of financial sovereignty. “Over 90 percent of payments are made in national currencies, which shows the almost complete de-dollarization of economic relations,” the Russian prime minister said. Investment cooperation is deepening. “Over the past ten years, the Russian Direct Investment Fund has made a significant contribution to this. More than 40 joint initiatives with Chinese partners have been implemented. We are also launching new projects – in the automotive industry, in the mining and gas-chemical sectors. We also welcome the decision of the State Council of “China should facilitate the access of goods from the Russian agricultural sector to the Chinese market. We are ready to increase their volumes. The volumes of Russian energy exports to China are constantly increasing,” Mishustin listed.
Among the documents eventually signed are a joint communique, minutes of meetings of specialized commissions and a customs memorandum. Agreements for veterinary and phytosanitary supervision have also been added.
“Wan Shi Zhu Yi!”
The next day, Mishustin was received by President Xi. He also mentioned the trade turnover, which for 11 months of the past year reached 218.2 billion dollars. “Today, we have laid a solid foundation for cooperation, its scale and quality are growing, and our ability to withstand risks is strengthening, which fully demonstrates the resilience to stress and the broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries,” the Chinese leader said. He considers the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations a new beginning. Moscow and Beijing must “move forward together for the sake of the common destiny of mankind.”
Mishustin again expressed readiness to help overcome the consequences of the earthquakes. It also noted “the good results in the investment sector”: 80 joint projects are in the works “with a total value of almost 20 trillion rubles, or about 1.6 trillion yuan.”
“I would like to mention the significant date that is being celebrated these days in China – the 45th anniversary of the beginning of the policy of reform and opening up. I sincerely congratulate you and the entire Chinese people for your great achievements in the socio-economic development, in strengthening the China’s authority in the international arena,” the prime minister said. And he wished all the best in the coming year. In Chinese: “Wang Shi Zhu Yi!”
This visit is a logical summary of the results of cooperation in 2023, notes Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University. “These processes are taking place as part of the expansion of Russia’s foreign economic activity to the east, where China is becoming our main partner. For China in foreign trade, we are already in fourth place, and before we were in 10-12”, the expert specifies.
An important point: Russian representatives are increasingly talking about activating investment cooperation. “There is a lot to work on here. It is necessary to implement a number of projects, for example in the automobile industry. The discussion itself is a step forward”, the expert believes.
Although the fuel and energy complex is still the leader, Moscow has gradually diversified its cooperation. “We are primarily talking about the products of the agro-industrial complex,” notes Maslov. Scientific and technical ties are also deepening. And this is already the basis for further innovative research in various fields: from healthcare to IT.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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