MOSCOW: Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has hailed relations with Moscow during a meeting with Russian President in the Kremlin, local media reported on Sunday.
“We have very strong relations and they are very stable,” he said in translated statement broadcast on Russian TV. The Minister said that Moscow-Beijing relations have “already entered a new era”.
Moscow-Beijing
He said that this is his first foreign visit since taking over as defense minister. He added that he specifically chose Moscow for this to emphasise the special nature and strategic significance of their bilateral relations.
Russian President Putin welcomed military cooperation between China and Russia. The meeting was also attended by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The Russian President said, “We are working actively via the military departments, exchange of useful information and conduct joint exercises,”.
The Defense Minister of China trip to Russia comes weeks after an official trip to Moscow of China’s President Xi Jinping last month.
During two days of talks, Xi and Putin hailed a “new era” in their ties and discussed China’s suggestions to end the Ukraine war.
