Speaking on his 69th birthday, Xi also pledged to deepen strategic coordination between the two countries, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
A separate statement from the Kremlin said the two leaders stressed that relations between their countries were “at an all-time high” and affirmed their commitment to “consistently deepen the comprehensive partnership.”
The call is believed to be the second time the two have spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine. They last spoke just days after Moscow launched what it insists it calls a “special military operation”.
China has also refrained from referring to Russia’s actions as an invasion and has agreed a fine line on the issue. She has portrayed herself as calling for peace and support for world order, while refusing to condemn Russia’s actions. It has also used its state media to mimic the Kremlin’s lines that blame the United States and NATO for the crisis.
During the call on Wednesday, Xi stressed that China has always “independently assessed the situation” in Ukraine, and called on “all parties” to push for a “proper settlement of the Ukraine crisis” – echoing language he used in a March call with US President Joe. Biden.
He said China was “ready to continue playing its role” in promoting a “proper solution” for Ukraine.
The Kremlin’s summary of the invitation took this position a step further, saying: “The President of China referred to the legitimacy of the measures taken by Russia to protect core national interests in the face of challenges to its security caused by external forces.”
China’s lack of blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine has further strained Beijing’s strained relationship with the United States and its allies.
business relations
Wednesday’s call was also an opportunity for Putin and Xi to check on their growing business relationship.
“Since the beginning of this year, bilateral relations have maintained a sound development momentum in the face of global upheavals and transformations,” Xi said in the phone call on Wednesday.
Kremlin readings said that the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in the fields of energy, finance, manufacturing and other areas, “taking into account the global economic situation, which has become more complicated due to the policy of illegal sanctions pursued by the West.”
Countries also pledge to work together to enhance communication and coordination in international bodies such as the United Nations – where countries often vote as a single bloc.
Xi said in a striking comment about the two countries’ common goal of pushing back what they see as the global hegemony of the United States.
birthday greetings
The call was not the first time that Xi and Putin – two powerful men who came together due to mutual mistrust in the West – had shared each other’s birthdays.
It is also believed that their personal relationship, in which Xi called Putin his “best friend and bosom,” reinforces the dynamics of strengthening their relationship at the national level.
Summing up the two leaders’ recent contact, the Kremlin noted that the conversation took place in a “traditional, friendly and warm atmosphere.”
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