Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, celebrating the Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) 10th anniversary.
On China-Russia Partnership
In a rare interview with the China Media Group ahead of his visit, Putin said that Russia’s strong relationship with China has “not been shaped to suit the current global environment” and nor is it a “result of a short-term political opportunism.”
Putin said that the relationship has “been shaped for twenty years in a careful, phased-out manner.” Both countries “have always taken into account each other’s opinions and interests” and “have always tried to reach a compromise, even on complicated issues inherited from the old days,” he stressed.
On BRI
Putin said that ten years ago, when Chinese President Xi Jinping formulated the idea of the BRI, “it was very timely and is developing well, because the focal point of this idea is an attempt to unite the capabilities of many countries to achieve common development goals.”
Noting that the ambitious project now includes around 147 countries or “two-thirds of the world’s population,” Putin declared that the BRI “is already a success” and “is a good, correct and technologically organized initiative that is developing.”
Referring to the West’s claims of the initiative being a debt trap for developing countries, the Russian leader clarified that Moscow views it simply as a cooperation initiative. “Yes, we see that some people consider it an attempt by the People’s Republic of China to put someone under its thumb, but we see otherwise, we just see desire for cooperation,” he said.
Hear Putin's insights into China's BRI and a multipolar world as he lands in Beijing for 3rd forum
— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) October 17, 2023
In an exclusive interview with China Media Group recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has shown China's desire to boost win-win… pic.twitter.com/Jh65ttSnzK
The leader added that Russia’s “own ideas on the development of the Eurasian Economic Union… on the construction of a Greater Eurasia, fully coincide with the Chinese ideas proposed” within the BRI framework.
Comments from Russian Foreign Ministry
In an exclusive interview with China’s state mouthpiece Global Times (GT) ahead of the visit, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that “developing relations of comprehensive interaction and strategic partnership” with China is “an absolute priority for Russia.”
GT cited Zakharova saying she “believes that Putin’s visit will become the central event of bilateral relations in the current time of the year.”
The Russian spokesperson also called the BRI an “important integration project” and “the backbone and key element in building a broad unifying framework for the Greater Eurasian Partnership,” referring to Russia’s strategy of connecting Europe and Asia.
She further stated that Putin’s attendance at the forum underscored “the great importance” Moscow attaches “to the development of the integration processes in the Eurasian area” and that “any contact between the heads of state is an opportunity to substantively coordinate positions, analyse the implementation of previous agreements and approve new large-scale cooperation projects.”
Zakharova also noted that such direct contact is “increasingly important in the context of the rapidly changing geopolitical situation.”