Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday reaffirmed their unity in countering the United States, during a meeting held on the sidelines of a regional summit in Kazakhstan, official media said.
Putin told Xi that cooperation between Russia and China is "one of the main stabilizing factors on the international stage" and vowed to further strengthen collaboration with Beijing, according to Russia's Tass news agency.
Putin also described bilateral relations as being "in the best period of their history," saying they are built on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and respect for each other's sovereignty.
Xi highlighted the need for China and Russia to remain committed to lasting friendship in an "international situation fraught with turbulence and changes," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
The two leaders held talks on the fringes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, the Kazakh capital.
Putin said the organization, which brings together Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and four Central Asian nations, is "one of the important pillars in a just and multipolar world order."
He added that cooperation between China and Russia is "not directed against anyone" and the two countries do not intend to create any blocs or alliances, Tass said, in an apparent reference to multilateral mechanisms involving the United States and its allies.
Xi said China and Russia should make new efforts to "safeguard their legitimate rights and interests" as well as the basic norms governing international relations, the Chinese ministry said.
Putin said he expects Xi to take part in a BRICS summit to be held in October in the central Russian city of Kazan, Tass said.
The BRICS group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa welcomed five new members, including Egypt and Iran, in January. Moscow and Beijing have been deepening cooperation with emerging and developing economies, collectively dubbed the Global South.
Xi said China supports Russia in fulfilling its responsibilities as BRICS chair, uniting the Global South, preventing a "new Cold War" and opposing "illegal unilateral sanctions and hegemonism," the Chinese ministry said.
The two leaders last met in Beijing in May and agreed to deepen the countries' bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. China and Russia have been strengthening ties recently, with Beijing opposing Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
As for the Ukraine crisis, Putin and Xi agreed there was a "lack of perspectives" in any formats without Russian participation to resolve the issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Switzerland hosted a summit in June on bringing an end to the war in Ukraine that was attended by about 100 countries and organizations, but Russia was not invited and its key backer China did not participate.
Belarus was approved as a new member at the two-day summit through Thursday in Astana of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
China took over the rotating presidency of the group. At the SCO summit, Xi urged member countries to "jointly oppose external interference," according to the country's official Xinhua News Agency.
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