Chinese premier co-chairs 28th regular meeting between Chinese, Russian heads of gov't with Russian PM

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin jointly chair the 28th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 19, 2023. Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang also attended the meeting. [Photo by Pang Xinglei/Xinhua]

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin Tuesday jointly chaired the 28th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government in Beijing.

Li said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Russia relations have continued to operate at a high level, with more political mutual trust, deepening people-to-people friendship, more resilient practical cooperation, and closer international coordination, setting an example of a new model of major-country relations.

China is ready to work with Russia to take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to carry forward China-Russia friendship from generation to generation, and push for new and greater development of China-Russia relations, Li said.

Mishustin expressed condolences to the Chinese side on the casualties caused by the earthquake that jolted Jishishan county in northwest China's Gansu Province.

Russia is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, energy, and investment, deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as the UN and BRICS, Mishustin said.

The two sides agreed that, at present, both China and Russia are committed to development and revitalization. The two sides should further enhance the internal driving force to develop China-Russia relations, expand bilateral trade and agricultural cooperation, create a better business environment for each other's enterprises to invest in their own countries, jointly safeguard the energy security of the two countries, strengthen connectivity, enhance personnel exchanges and local cooperation, and ensure the security and stability of industrial and supply chains.

Li and Mishustin jointly announced the successful conclusion of the 2022-2023 years of sports exchanges, and the two sides will run the 2024-2025 China-Russia years of culture well.

After the meeting, the two heads of government jointly witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in customs, inspection and quarantine, market supervision, and other fields.