Putin, Xi hail exemplary relations between Russia, China

In an online meeting on the 20th anniversary of the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship, the two leaders agreed to extend the pact for another five years.

“The treaty has indeed become a fundamental international legal act that has largely determined the current state of Russian-Chinese relations,” Putin said in his opening remarks.

“It has absorbed the centuries-old positive experience of developing relations between our states, fully reflected the deep historical traditions of good-neighborliness and friendship between the Russian and Chinese peoples.”

The treaty, he added, “cements the absence of mutual territorial claims and therefore the common border becomes a belt of eternal peace and friendship.”

“Following the letter and spirit of the treaty, we managed to bring Russian-Chinese relations to an unprecedented height, to make them a model of interstate cooperation in the 21st century,” he said.

Putin said the agreement gave “a solid foundation” for the development of trade and economic cooperation, with trade between Russia and China having grown 14 times since 2001.

Putin also congratulated Xi over the upcoming centennial anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.

President Xi said Moscow and Beijing had set a positive example of peaceful bilateral and international cooperation.

“The world has entered a period of great turbulence and changes and humanity is facing various risks,” he said.

“The close cooperation between Russia and China brings positive energy to the international community, creating an example to follow in the formation of a new type of international relations. We highly appreciate this.”

The 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship, also known as the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, was signed by former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and Putin on July 16, 2001.