China's defence minister Li Shangfu meets Vladimir Putin; discusses military cooperation

Moscow: During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu praised relations with Moscow.

He said, “We have very strong ties. They surpass the military-political alliances of the Cold War era… They are very stable,” reported AFP.

Russia-China relations have “already entered a new era,” he added.

“This is my first overseas visit since taking over as China’s defence minister. I specifically chose Russia for this in order to emphasise the special nature and strategic importance of our bilateral ties,” Li said.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s minister of defence, also attended the meeting, and Putin commended military cooperation between China and Russia.

“We are also working actively through the military departments, regularly exchange useful information, cooperate in the field of military-technical cooperation, conduct joint exercises, ” Putin said, reported AFP.

“This is, undoubtedly, another important area that strengthens the exclusively trusting, strategic nature of our relations,” he added.

Li’s journey to Russia comes weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official visit to Moscow last month.

Putin and Xi reviewed Beijing’s recommendations for resolving the Ukraine issue during the course of two days of talks, during which they proclaimed a “new era” in their relationship.

Moscow and Beijing have intensified their cooperation in recent years, motivated by a shared ambition to balance out US global dominance. Since Putin began an offensive in Ukraine in February of last year, their alliance has only gotten stronger, according to AFP.

China has made an effort to present itself as an impartial party to the war in Ukraine, but Washington has accused Beijing of considering arms transfers to Moscow, accusations that China has refuted.

With inputs from agencies

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