CHINESE President Xi Jinping will embark on a three-day official state visit to Russia to attend the “victory day” celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the soviet Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, confirmed the Russian foreign ministry.
Both nations have cemented their bilateral relations by opposing the United States-led world order for decades, creating a bond based on mutual respect and shared values despite a complex external environment, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said that during the upcoming state visit, President Xi will have strategic communication with President Putin on China-Russia relations under new circumstances and on a series of major international and regional issues.
“We believe the important common understandings between the two presidents will further deepen political mutual trust between the two countries, add new substance to strategic coordination, and promote practical cooperation in various fields,” the spokesperson said.
Both nations are celebrating their victories against enemies of World War II, where China celebrates its triumph over Japan’s brutal imperialist rule, while Russia celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany, bringing an end to Adolf Hitler’s third Reich.
President Xi and President Putin previously agreed that the two sides will jointly remember history, honour the martyrs, foster a right view of World War II history, defend the outcomes of the victory in the war and the post-war international order, and uphold international fairness and justice, the spokesperson said.
This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN, the spokesperson said, noting that China and Russia, as founding members of the UN and permanent members of the UN Security Council, shoulder special and important responsibility in safeguarding the international system with the UN at its core.
“The two countries will further strengthen their close coordination in the UN, SCO, BRICS, and other multilateral platforms; rally the Global South; shape global governance in the right direction; unequivocally oppose acts of unilateralism and bullying; and jointly promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the visit comes at a time when two of their neighbours, India and Pakistan, are almost at a deadlock, reaching the brink of war over the Pahalgam attack.
Both presidents are expected to discuss the evolving situation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours on the sidelines of the visit. China and Russia asked India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and de-escalate tensions.
