Official website of the President of Russia

News   /

Taking part in the meeting on the Russian side were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office – Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, State Duma Deputy Speaker Alexander Babakov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, and Special Representative of the Russian President for Relations with International Organisations to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals, Chairman of the Russian Section of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace, and Development Boris Titov.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Li Hongzhong, friends,

Allow me to extend my greetings to all of you.

We arrived from China at the same time, and I believe our flights to Vladivostok coincided in time as well.

First and foremost, I would like to ask you to convey my best regards and sincere gratitude to the leadership of China and to the President of the People’s Republic of China for the warm welcome and excellent organisation of our work. I would also like to once again congratulate China on the outstanding hosting of the SCO Summit and on the initiatives put forward by the President of the PRC. As I have already noted, these initiatives are both far-reaching and timely.

There is one more important matter I did not have a chance to respond promptly, and I would like to ask you to do it on my behalf. It concerns a very kind gesture from the leadership of the People’s Republic of China – a unilateral decision to introduce a visa-free regime for Russian citizens travelling to China. This is truly a significant step. During my meeting with the President, we had many issues to discuss, and unfortunately, we did not get to this topic. I would therefore be very grateful if you could pass along my warm regards and sincere appreciation for this decision. It is far from ordinary, as it directly affects, without exaggeration, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of our citizens. This decision will undoubtedly encourage more Russian citizens to travel to China and will foster the growth of business, professional, and personal ties. I would also ask you to convey to the leadership of the People’s Republic of China, and to our friend, President Xi Jinping, that Russia will, of course, respond to this friendly gesture in kind and take reciprocal steps.

Thank you very much.

We are delighted to welcome you, and I am confident that your participation in the Eastern Economic Forum will be both engaging and productive.

Welcome.

Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Li Hongzhong (retranslated): Mr President, thank you very much for receiving our delegation so promptly. It is a great honour for me.

First of all, I would like to convey the sincere greetings and best wishes from President Xi Jinping.

This time in China, you attended the SCO Summit in Tianjin and also took part in the celebrations marking the 80^th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese aggression, as well as the victory in the world anti-fascist war.

In May of this year, President Xi Jinping made a successful visit to Russia, both to attend the celebrations of the 80^th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and to pay a state visit. Therefore, this year is truly special and important for China-Russia relations.

We often say that May is “red May,” and September is “golden September.” In both the golden and the red months, our heads of state took part in each other’s important national celebrations, reciprocally. And it was precisely in May and September that you and President Xi Jinping outlined a new, grand plan for the further, in-depth and extensive development of Chinese-Russian relations, and reached many important agreements.

I know that a number of new agreements and decisions have been reached between you. You have just mentioned that China is introducing a visa-free regime for Russians. This important policy of Chinese diplomacy also reflects the high level of large-scale cooperation between our countries. This is a vivid example, and I will definitely pass on your message to President Xi Jinping.

Thank you very much for your unwavering attention to the development of our bilateral relations. Just today, you have received our delegation, which in itself fully reflects the particular nature of our ties. As soon as we landed, we were given a warm welcome, and much has been done for our delegation in terms of accommodation and security arrangements. Thank you sincerely for this.

Today I also recall warmheartedly the meeting with you in 2018, in which I took part. You made a very positive impression on the Chinese people as a respected and also personable president. We are delighted to see you again today.

I am confident that all the agreements reached at the highest level will be implemented in full. The goal of my visit is to participate in the Eastern Economic Forum, as well as in the 15^th plenary session of the Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development between our countries. Under the new conditions, we are very much looking forward to hearing your opinions on the further development of China-Russia relations, as well as your views on the future work of the Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development.

President Xi Jinping appointed me Chairman of the Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development. It is a great honour and responsibility for me, but it also means more possibilities for the implementation of important agreements reached at the highest level, so I am, once again, looking forward to hearing your opinion.

<…>