Medvedev meets with Xi in Beijing

Photo: Xinhua

Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council and United Russia Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing, TASS reports.

Dmitry Medvedev said during the meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that he delivered a personal message from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I am honestly happy to meet you again. We had such a meeting two years ago, and, this time it also takes within the cooperation between our ruling parties. I would like to relay the best regards from President Putin, and also a personal message from him, Medvedev said during the negotiation with Xi Jinping.

China and Russia will continue to deepen mutual trust and strategic cooperation, consistently expanding practical coordination in all fields, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday during a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev.

"China and Russia are each other's largest neighbors, and the development of friendly relations has inevitable historical logic and powerful internal driving force," Xi Jinping said.

He noted that "China and Russia will uphold the spirit of lasting good-neighborliness and friendship, comprehensive strategic interaction, and mutually beneficial cooperation. They will deepen political mutual trust and strategic coordination, and further expand cooperation in all areas."

The trade turnover between Russia and China will reach approximately $240 bln by the end of 2024, Dmitry Medvedev told reporters.

"We [with President of China Xi Jinping – TASS] discussed the economy, said that despite the opposition against our countries from other countries with the unfriendly sentiment, the Anglo-Saxon world countries in the first instance, the trade turnover remains at a very high level. By the way, this is the direct response to the intrigues made by the countries attempting to impede our cooperation. Sanctions are being introduced, while the turnover, to all appearances, will be at the level of $240 bln at the turn of this year," Medvedev said.

Such trade turnover indicators evidence that plans agreed by presidents of the two countries "will be performed," the official said. "It also means a different thing, that sanctions introduced against Russia or various tariff restrictions in effect against China do not operate in the way as our opponents want," Medvedev added.

If the United States and Europe stopped feeding "the gods of war" in Ukraine, Kiev would go hungry and the conflict could be settled, Dmitry Medvedev told reporters.

"If the next US administration (of President-elect Donald Trump – TASS) is really set on resolving this crisis, they have the means; it's very simple really: the Kiev regime survives solely because it receives military and financial support from across the ocean and from a number of European countries," the Russian politician maintained. "If America decides to deal with the crisis instead of feeding the gods of war, it could easily do so," he emphasized.

According to Medvedev, Trump’s pledges to resolve the Ukraine crisis "in a day" should be taken as election rhetoric, given the complexity of the given crisis. "For there is the situation on the ground. Russia’s constitution has been amended, too. And there are conditions set out by [Russian] President Vladimir Putin at the initial stages of the special military operation. And there are our concerns, to put it mildly, over how the situation around NATO and Ukraine’s potential membership has been developing," he explained.

"If answers to all these issues are given, of course negotiations with active participation of the US administration could perhaps take place. We will see," Medvedev concluded, adding that early next year, things should become more clear.

Dmitry Medvedev has shared his perspective on the situation in Syria, telling reporters that the possible consequences of the events are "grim."

"The implications are grim, as there is little expectation — despite current claims — that Syria’s unity can be preserved or that its diverse religious communities can continue to coexist peacefully," he said.

Medvedev noted that Russia had provided substantial support to the administration and government of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, recognizing the global threats posed by the potential fragmentation or disintegration of Syria, similar to what occurred in other Middle Eastern countries. "At that time, such support was effective," he noted.

According to Medvedev, although the Syrian crisis was not at the top of the agenda of the talks with the Chinese government, it was still considered. "Since everyone is concerned about it now, of course, we touched upon this issue. I outlined Russia's position," he said.

Dmitry Medvedev told journalists on Thursday that he discussed the global agenda as well as security issues with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"Naturally, we went over the overall global situation, including issues of strategic stability and security," Medvedev said.

Medvedev pointed out that Moscow and Beijing are close strategic partners.

"Thus, we regularly hold such consultations both at the level of heads of state as well as at other levels, including the inter-party dimension," he added.

Talks with Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council and United Russia Chairman Dmitry Medvedev in Beijing are expected to enhance the level of trust between the two countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

The Chinese president highlighted that his three meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin this year have led to significant new agreements. "Recently, we exchanged congratulatory messages on the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Russian-Chinese diplomatic relations, and we also outlined a strategic plan to advance the bilateral relationship in the future," he said. Xi also asked Medvedev to convey his sincere greetings to the Russian president.

"I am confident that our meeting will help further bolster trust and cooperation between Russia and China, as well as between the two countries' parties," he added.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, meets with Chairman of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2024.
Photo: Xinhua

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, met here Thursday with Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and Chairman of United Russia ruling party Dmitry Medvedev, Xinhua reports.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 75 years ago, China and Russia have blazed a new path featuring mutual respect, harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation between major and neighboring countries, setting an example of new-type international relations as well as relations between major neighboring countries, Xi said.

He said China is willing to work with Russia to strengthen the synergy of development strategies, tap the intrinsic momentum of bilateral cooperation, and continuously bring benefits to the two countries and peoples.

China and Russia should strengthen communication and coordination within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations (UN), the BRICS cooperation mechanism and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, firmly uphold the international system with the UN at its core, and practice true multilateralism so as to make the international order more just and equitable and jointly safeguard global strategic stability and international fairness and justice, Xi said.

Last time Medvedev came to China was in December 2022. He then held a number of meetings with his Chinese counterparts, discussing both bilateral and international topics. However, contacts are constantly underway in various formats, including between the parties, TASS reminds.

Medvedev and Xi Jinping have met numerous times. Their first meeting was held in 2008, during Medvedev's state visit to China as the Russian president.

Since 2012, Medvedev has maintained contact with Xi in his roles as prime minister, and more recently, as deputy chairman of the Security Council and chairman of the ruling party.

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