Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday afternoon, with Putin saying visa-free entry for Chinese visitors to Russia will take effect soon.
Putin first received heads of delegations attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of Government before holding a separate meeting with Li. According to Xinhua, Li conveyed President Xi Jinping’s greetings and said Xi and Putin had met twice this year, setting the direction for the development of bilateral ties. Li says China is willing to strengthen strategic alignment with Russia, deepen cooperation across sectors and deliver more tangible results to support both nations’ development.
Li says China’s position on advancing mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia remains consistent, adding that the two sides should enhance resilience in cooperation and maintain its steady momentum. He calls for jointly hosting the new round of national theme years and making full use of visa-free arrangements to boost people-to-people ties. China is also ready to work with Russia to implement outcomes of the SCO Tianjin summit, uphold the “Shanghai Spirit” and promote high-quality development within the bloc.
Russian media quoted Putin as saying the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership has entered a new era and is at its “best level in history”. He says ties are based on equality and mutual benefit, with both sides firmly supporting each other on core interests, and stressed that cooperation “does not target any third party”.
On visa facilitation, Putin thanked China for granting visa-free entry to Russian citizens and said Russia will soon implement reciprocal measures for Chinese visitors. “This will have a profound impact on economic and cultural exchanges,” he said, expressing confidence that bilateral ties will see positive and rapid growth.
