Photo: Pavel Byrkin/AFP
Eurasia
30/08/2025 18:26
In a written interview with China’s Xinhua news agency, Putin said he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin before joining Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing for commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II. He promised “in-depth discussions” with Xi on expanding bilateral ties.
Calling Xi’s May visit to Russia a “resounding success,” Putin said it carried “deep symbolic significance” and reaffirmed the peoples’ “strategic choice” for long-term partnership. He lauded Xi as “a true leader of a great world power, endowed with strategic vision and unwavering in his commitment to national interests.”
Putin highlighted the wartime sacrifices of both nations, stressing that the Soviet Union’s and China’s resistance was decisive in defeating Nazism and militarism. He condemned efforts in the West to “distort” WWII history, affirming that the results “enshrined in the UN Charter are inviolable.”
On the economic front, Putin noted that bilateral trade has nearly doubled since 2021, reaching record highs of $245 billion in 2024. Transactions are increasingly settled in rubles and yuan, with cooperation expanding from energy to agriculture, manufacturing, cars, high-tech, and infrastructure. He also highlighted cultural exchanges, educational partnerships, tourism flows, and joint projects in science and innovation.
Looking ahead to the SCO Tianjin summit, Putin endorsed China’s presidency and said the gathering would “inject powerful new momentum” into the organization. He emphasized shared positions in multilateral formats like the UN, G20, APEC, and BRICS, where both countries oppose “discriminatory” sanctions and support reform of the IMF and World Bank.
“We seek progress for the benefit of all humanity,” Putin concluded. “I am confident that Russia and China will continue to work together towards this noble goal, ensuring the prosperity of our great nations.”
