On the fourth day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar, Li Chun, Fanghua Garden, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Beijing, President Xi Jinping held a "New Year Meeting" with Russian President Putin, who came to China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
This is the first offline meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of state in more than two years, and the 38th meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Putin since 2013. Through this meeting, we can read the triple meaning.
(1) Old Friend's "Winter Olympic Covenant"
"This time, you can be said to have fulfilled our 'Winter Olympic Covenant.'" Warm and sincere words, welcome to old friends from afar.
The "Covenant of the Winter Olympics" mentioned by President Xi Jinping began 8 years ago. In 2014, also during the Spring Festival, President Xi Jinping traveled to Russia at the invitation of President Putin to attend the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics, the first time a Chinese head of state attended a major international sporting event held abroad. Among the dozens of international dignitaries visiting Russia, President Putin was the first to meet with President Xi Jinping, when the two met — again in Beijing eight years later.
On the evening of February 4, 2022, the opening ceremony of the XXIV Winter Olympic Games was held at the Beijing National Stadium. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Jingyan
At that time, the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics had not yet been finalized, and the two old friends made an agreement early, which showed the confidence of the two leaders in China's bid to host and host the Winter Olympics.
At that meeting, President Xi Jinping said: "According to Chinese customs, neighbors do happy events, of course, I want to come to congratulate you in person and share the celebrations with the Russian people." ”
Whenever the other country has a big event or a happy event, it is necessary to come and congratulate in person – this has become a "tradition" between the two leaders.
"I want to share with my Chinese friends the joy of hosting this year's world-important sporting event, the Winter Olympics." On the eve of his first visit to China in nearly three years, President Putin expressed his expectations.
Over the years, under the leadership of the two heads of state, Sino-Russian relations have reached a record high.
"Today is the fourth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and it is a rare good omen. I believe that our 'New Year meeting' today will surely inject more vitality into Sino-Russian relations." During the talks, President Xi Jinping expressed his expectations for the future.
(2) Cooperation is "not capped"
During the talks, President Xi Jinping and President Putin jointly announced the official launch of the China-Russia Sports Exchange Year, which added a unique sports color to the "Winter Olympics Covenant" between the two.
The "Year of Sports Exchange" is the eighth theme year between China and Russia, after which the two sides also carried out exchanges on scientific and technological innovation, local cooperation, youth friendship and other aspects, covering all aspects.
On the afternoon of February 4, 2022, President Xi Jinping held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Haitao
Under the impetus of the two heads of state, China and Russia have given full play to the political advantages of bilateral relations and achieved fruitful results in all-round pragmatic cooperation.
Last year, the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries achieved the "best report card" - the trade volume reached 146.887 billion US dollars, an increase of 35.8% year-on-year. In the context of the epidemic, it is not easy to achieve such good results. In addition, the two sides cooperate in traditional and emerging fields go hand in hand, from energy to infrastructure, from communications to aerospace, cooperation "heaven into the earth", hand in hand to the "sea of stars"...
The plan of the year is spring. It is the common expectation of both sides to continue the good momentum of cooperation and jointly plan the direction of future cooperation.
"I am willing to work with President Putin to plan a blueprint for Sino-Russian relations under the new historical conditions, orient and pilot, and promote the continuous transformation of high-level mutual trust between China and Russia into the results of cooperation in various fields and effectively benefit the two peoples." President Xi Jinping said during the talks.
President Putin responded positively: "Russia is willing to continue to deepen cooperation with China in the fields of economy and trade, energy, science and technology, finance, transportation and other fields."
It is reported that under the joint witness of the heads of state of China and Russia, the relevant departments and enterprises of the two countries signed nearly 20 cooperation documents this time, covering economy and trade, investment, energy, sports and other aspects, and the two sides also signed relevant documents on the roadmap for the high-quality development of trade in goods and trade in services between China and Russia.
(3) "Shoulder to shoulder" and "back to back"
The meeting between the heads of state of China and Russia has been highly concerned by the international community. An important background is that the century-old changes and the century epidemic are intertwined and superimposed, and the world has entered a new period of turbulent change.
During the talks, the two heads of state had an in-depth and full exchange of views and reached a broad consensus on Sino-Russian relations and a series of major issues related to international strategic security and stability; after the talks, President Xi Jinping also held a banquet for President Putin, during which the two exchanged in-depth views on the current international and regional situation and major hotspot issues of mutual concern.
"In the face of the profound and complex evolution of the international situation, China and Russia are determined to deepen back-to-back strategic cooperation and shoulder to shoulder to safeguard international fairness and justice." This is a strategic choice that has far-reaching impact on both China and Russia and the world, and will not waver in the past, present, and future. President Xi Jinping's words were firm and powerful.
Talking about bilateral relations – the two sides should continue to maintain close high-level exchanges, always adhere to the consensus of "four mutual firm support", strongly support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, effectively respond to external interference and regional security threats, and maintain international strategic stability;
Talking about strategic coordination – The two sides should closely coordinate and cooperate in international affairs, show the mindset of a big country and show the ambitions of a big country on issues that the international community is anxious about, such as fighting the epidemic, boosting the economy, and coping with climate change.
It is worth noting that after the event, the two sides issued a joint statement on international relations and global sustainable development in the new era, focusing on the common positions of China and Russia in the concept of democracy, development, security and order.
"The joint statement we issued today reflects the highly consistent position of Russia and China on major international issues." President Putin spoke highly of this.
History has proven and will continue to prove that as long as the two great powers of China and Russia stand shoulder to shoulder and deepen cooperation back-to-back, the international order will not be chaotic, world justice will not fall, and hegemonism will not win.
Producer: Zhao Cheng
Planner: Zhang Xudong
Chief Writer: Zheng Mingda
Coordinator: Liu Hua, Wang Yu, Wang Xuan
Visual | Editors: Wu Jingjing, Wang Qiuyun
Produced internally by Xinhua News Agency
Produced by Xinhua News Agency Studio No. 1