3-Hour Meeting Between Xi and Putin... "Chaos Strengthens China-Russia Cooperation"

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin showcased the China-Russia alliance through a bilateral meeting lasting over three hours. They particularly emphasized that external factors, such as the Israel-Palestine war, have strengthened cooperation between the two countries.

According to China's People's Daily and Russia's TASS news agency on the 19th, President Xi and President Putin held a bilateral meeting lasting over three hours after the opening ceremony of the '3rd Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit' the previous day. This was the first meeting between the two leaders in seven months since President Xi visited Russia in March. Attending the meeting were Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

People's Daily reported that the two leaders exchanged in-depth views on the situation between Israel and Palestine but did not provide specific details. On the other hand, President Putin spoke relatively in detail about the matter during a press conference in Beijing that day. He said, "I cannot disclose everything, but we discussed many agendas between the two countries, including cooperation in economic, financial, political, and international fields," adding, "We also discussed the situation in the Middle East in detail." He further explained that he exchanged opinions with President Xi on the war situation between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas.

Regarding the impact of external factors, including the Israel-Palestine war, on bilateral relations, he responded, "All these external factors are common threats and strengthen cooperation between the two countries."

Concerning the explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip that resulted in over 500 deaths, he described it as "a tragedy and a humanitarian disaster," expressing hope that "this will be a signal to end the conflict as soon as possible or at least for both sides to engage in dialogue." He added that Russia has always supported the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state as a solution to this issue.

President Putin also stated that he provided President Xi with detailed explanations about the situation in Ukraine, where Russia has been conducting a 'special military operation' since February last year. Regarding the United States supplying ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) surface-to-surface missiles to Ukraine, he criticized it as "another mistake by the U.S. that only prolongs Ukraine's suffering."

According to People's Daily, he reaffirmed support for the 'One China' policy during the meeting. President Putin emphasized, "There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory," adding, "Russia firmly adheres to the 'One China' policy and strongly supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

President Xi stressed the importance of economic cooperation and long-term friendly relations with Russia. He explained, "President Putin's attendance at the Belt and Road Summit for the third consecutive time reflects Russia's support for the joint construction of the Belt and Road," and noted, "Major infrastructure projects such as natural gas pipelines are operational in Russia, bringing tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.