Address ahead of the official visit to China

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Greetings, dear Chinese friends,

I am delighted to be visiting Beijing once again at the invitation of my long-time good friend, the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping Xi JinpingPresident of People's Republic of China .

Regular mutual visits and Russia-China top-level talks are an important and integral part of our joint efforts to promote the entire range of relations between our two countries and unlock their truly limitless potential.

I would like to remind you that 25 years ago, Russia and China signed the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation, which laid a solid foundation for a genuinely strategic relationship and comprehensive partnership for the benefit of our countries and our peoples.

Today, Russia-China relations have reached a truly unprecedented level. Their special nature is reflected in the atmosphere of mutual understanding and trust, a commitment to pursuing win-win and equitable cooperation, conducting respectful dialogue, and supporting each other on matters affecting the core interests of both countries, including protection of sovereignty and state unity.

Looking confidently to the future, Russia and China are actively expanding their contacts in politics, the economy, and defence, while broadening humanitarian exchanges and encouraging person-to-person interaction. It means that together we are doing everything that can further deepen bilateral collaboration and advance the comprehensive development of our countries. It is important that these are the issues that will shape the agenda of the upcoming talks in Beijing.

I deeply appreciate President Xi Jinping's commitment to long-term cooperation with Russia. I am convinced that our warm and friendly ties enable us to chart the boldest plans for the future and bring them to life.

Trade between Russia and China continues to grow, having long surpassed the US$200 billion mark. Mutual settlements are now conducted almost entirely in rubles and yuan. Major initiatives are underway in key areas of our cooperation. Following the successful Cross Years of Culture, the Cross Years of Russian-Chinese Cooperation in Education were launched in January, making it the tenth edition of this kind of bilateral projects in the humanitarian area.

I would like to point out that Russia holds China's centuries-old history and its achievements in culture, art, and science in high esteem. We are interested in bringing our peoples closer together, further promoting mutual understanding, and embracing all the positive things offered by the two countries' rich traditions and heritage.

This is why we welcome the introduction of a mutual visa-free regime between our countries, facilitating greater business and tourism exchanges and harnessing new opportunities for communication and personal contacts between Russian and Chinese nationals.

The close strategic relationship between Russia and China plays a major, stabilising role globally. Without allying against anyone, we seek peace and universal prosperity.

It is in this spirit that Moscow and Beijing act in a coordinated manner to defend international law and the provisions of the UN Charter in their entirety, completeness, and interconnectedness. We support active cooperation through the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, BRICS, and other multilateral entities, making a substantial contribution to resolving pressing global and regional challenges.

I am confident that together we will continue to do everything possible to deepen Russia-China partnership and good-neighbourliness for our two countries' dynamic development and for the well-being of our peoples, in the interests of maintaining global security and stability.

See you soon in Beijing!

Thank you!