Xi names the ‘new heights’ China-Russia relations reached in 2021

The Chinese leader praised Beijing’s ‘win-win cooperation’ with Moscow on energy, trade, and space

Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the bilateral relations with Russia in a New Year’s message to President Vladimir Putin, saying the two set new trade records and stepped up their game in the fields of energy and space.

Beijing remains committed to the long-standing friendship and “win-win cooperation” with Russia, the Chinese leader said in a New Year’s Eve message on Friday, as he congratulated Putin and the Russian people. He praised “all-round practical cooperation” between Russia and China and said that the trust between Moscow and Beijing only grew deeper in 2021.

This year has seen "bilateral trade volume reaching new heights and major strategic projects in the fields of energy, space ... accelerated," the Chinese leader said.

He also said that he looks forward to further working with Putin and “jointly lead the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between China and Russia.” The two nations are guided by the common values of “peace, development, fairness and justice,” he said.

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Xi argued that Moscow and Beijing would further contribute to a new type of international relations, building what he called the “shared future for humankind.”

Earlier, the Russian president offered his own praise of Russia’s cooperation with China in a telegram issued to numerous world leaders ahead of New Year’s celebrations. There, he also said he was sure Beijing would “ensure the successful organization of the Winter Olympics.”

His message was also welcomed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. “China highly appreciates President Putin’s positive remarks on China-Russia relations and good wishes for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games,” the ministry’s spokesman, Zhao Lijian, told a news conference on Friday.

“The China-Russia friendship is unbreakable and our cooperation holds great promise,” he added.