The official Chinese press highlighted that the meeting between the Presidents of China and Russia, on Tuesday, in the Russian city of Kazan, sent “a positive signal” to the world.
At the meeting, which took place within the scope of the BRICS summit, Xi Jinping defended China’s “unshakable friendship” with Russia “despite the turbulent international situation”, and described the BRICS bloc of emerging economies as a platform that will contribute to the advent of “a structured multipolar order” and “economic globalization accessible to all”.
According to Xi, the third meeting with Vladimir Putin this year adds “a new chapter to the friendship between China and Russia”, which “will remain unchanged”.
“Xi and Putin have met more than 40 times, establishing a strong working relationship and a deep personal friendship. The two leaders maintain open communication on strategic issues and are an example of what interactions between great powers should be like,” said the official Chinese newspaper Global Times, in an editorial.
The newspaper stressed that the meeting, which demonstrated “strategic trust” between China and Russia, sent “a positive signal” to the world because it implies that the relationship is “independent and free from external interference.”
“Some Western media outlets have increased hostility towards Russia at this summit. They are also trying to discredit cooperation between China and Russia with alleged clashes between blocs”, the editorial reads.
The newspaper argued that Sino-Russian ties “effectively play a positive role in various multilateral platforms such as the BRICS group, and this is an undeniable fact. They have also jointly promoted the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, strengthening the unity of countries developing countries and the Global South”, he said.
The newspaper also indicated that China and Russia have “many partners” and that countries in the Global South are “advancing together” with “endless possibilities for cooperation”.
Putin proposed China, Brazil and India as possible mediators in future peace negotiations with Ukraine, as opposed to the United States, which, for Moscow, is interested in prolonging the conflict.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, China has maintained an ambiguous position, in which it has called for respect for the “territorial integrity of all countries”, including Ukraine, and attention to the “legitimate concerns of all” states, in reference to Russia.
The BRICS group, initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded this year to nine members with the integration of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
