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Lee Jeong-ho

The leaders of China and Russia called their countries “good friends” and vowed to work together for greater economic integration in Eurasia amid growing economic and military rivalries with the United States.
On the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin pledged to further improve bilateral ties.
“China and Russia have enjoyed the highest level of mutual trust, the closest cooperation and huge strategic importance,” Xi was quoted by state broadcaster CCTV as saying.
“Russia is an important partner in co-building the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ … The two countries should strengthen international cooperation and adhere to multilateralism,” Xi added, calling for greater cooperation in areas ranging from trade to aerospace.




Putin offered his support for the Beijing-led initiative, saying Xi had “built an important platform for expanding international cooperation”.
“Russia is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and work with China in energy, connectivity and other major projects,” he said.
Xi launched the initiative in 2013 to boost infrastructure and trade among nations from Asia to Africa and Europe.
It is also seen as a way for China to tap into opportunities in Eurasia, where prospects for growth have been overlooked by other world powers.
Xi Jinping seeks to ease currency war fears as China, US near trade deal
Earlier in the day in their speeches to the forum, the two leaders also echoed one another in their calls for multilateralism – a subtle rebuke of US influence.
Putin – who was in Beijing after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vladivostok on Thursday – also stressed the need for shared growth, saying the Chinese initiative and Russia’s Eurasia vision are both designed to promote shared prosperity.


“The Belt and Road Initiative is to strengthen cooperation and to provide harmonious development in Eurasia, and these goals bring us together here in Beijing,” Putin said.
“The growing trends of protectionism, illegitimate sanctions imposed that bypass the United Nations Security Council and even trade wars are slowing the world economy and creating new conflicts.”
Malaysia’s Mahathir backs China’s belt and road but insists on open trade routes
Russia has long promoted the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), aiming for greater economic cooperation and integration on the continent.
“Countries gathering under the Belt and Road Initiative and EAEU share long-term strategic interests of peace and growth,” he said.
Both China and Russia have strained ties with the United States. Beijing and Washington have yet to settle their trade war, and Moscow and Washington signalled the start of another arms-race era in February by withdrawing from a key arms control agreement.

The Xi-Putin meeting was followed by a ceremony to award the Russian leader an honorary doctorate from Tsinghua University.
“Today, witnessed by my good friend President Xi Jinping, Tsinghua University has given me an honorary doctorate. I feel very honoured and deeply moved,” Putin said.
“Russia-China education exchanges and cooperation have developed rapidly, and both sides have a large number of international students studying in each other’s countries ... I hope that the students will study hard and inherit the friendship between Russia and China to build a beautiful tomorrow of the Russia-China relations.”


African nations continue to put trust in Huawei for data management

Chinese firms to build more coal power plants in Asia despite Beijing’s pledge for greener Belt and Road Initiative projects

Social unrest won’t stop Hong Kong playing a key role in China’s belt and road strategy, say business leaders

US-China trade war, financial transparency to spur more belt and road projects, says Standard Chartered

Belt and Road: 2019 Forum

China and Russia forge stronger Eurasian economic ties as Vladimir Putin gets behind Xi Jinping’s belt and road plan in face of US hostility

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have pledged to further improve bilateral ties. Photo: Reuters

epa07529424 Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) receives a diploma from Tsinghua University President Qiu Yong (L) during a Tsinghua University ceremony at the Friendship palace in Beijing, China, 26 April 2019. Putin received the title of honorary doctor of Tsinghua University. EPA-EFE/ALEXEY NIKOLSKY / SPUTNIK / KREMLIN POOL MANDATORY CREDIT

Malaysia’s Mahathir backs China’s belt and road but insists on open trade routes

A media centre’s screen shows Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad delivering a speech at the opening ceremony for the second Belt and Road Forum, next to a replica of a Chinese high-speed train, in Beijing on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Turning China’s Belt and Road Initiative into a new cold war weapon by the US is deeply frustrating

A decoration promoting the upcoming Belt and Road Forum that takes place in Beijing from April 25 to 27. Photo: AP Photo

(190419) -- BEIJING, April 19, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks in a press briefing for the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing, capital of China, April 19, 2019. The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held from April 25 to 27 in Beijing, Wang Yi announced Friday. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2018, file photo, a Chinese construction worker stands on land that was reclaimed from the Indian Ocean for the Colombo Port City project, initiated as part of China's ambitious One Belt One Road initiative, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Despite criticisms, Beijing has been steadily racking up adherents to its Belt and Road initiative of a vast network of ports, bridges and power plants linking China to Europe and beyond. A decision by Italy to sign on with the plan would give China a crucial inroad into western Europe and a symbolic boost in its economic tug-of-war with the United States. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File)

In this Dec. 22, 2017, photo, work in progress at the site of Pakistan China Silk Road in Haripur, Pakistan. From Pakistan to Tanzania to Hungary, projects under Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature "Belt and Road Initiative" are being canceled, renegotiated or delayed due to disputes about costs or complaints host countries get too little out of projects built by Chinese companies and financed by loans from Beijing that must be repaid. (AP Photo/Aqeel Ahmed)

US leaders to skip China’s belt and road summit as financing and governance concerns persist

The first Belt and Road Forum, held two years ago, was attended by the senior White House official for Asia. Photo: AP

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China

Diplomacy


Vladimir Putin gets behind Beijing’s massive infrastructure initiative as rivalries grow with the United States



Vladimir Putin gets behind Beijing’s massive infrastructure initiative as rivalries grow with the United States.
