BEIJING: Russia hopes President Vladimir Putin will be the first foreign head of state to visit China when the COVID-19 pandemic is contained, said Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Ivanovich Denisov at a media briefing on Tuesday.
Ambassador Denisov told the Global Times on Tuesday that the upcoming Biden administration in the US will not have any effect on the strong Russia-China ties. China and Russia have a tradition of reciprocal state visits. Due to the pandemic, Putin was unable to visit China this year, but the leaders of the two countries maintained close communication through phone calls and written messages, the ambassador said. On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Putin by telephone to exchange New Year greetings, the fifth phone call between the two heads of state this year.
Xi said on Monday that the two sides have supported each other in overcoming the current challenges and continued to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests, which demonstrated their high-level mutual trust and friendship. Xi has met Putin more than 30 times since 2013 on bilateral and multilateral occasions, and the two leaders have made phone calls and written to each other many times, according to Russian media reports. Asked about the potential impact of the incoming Biden administration on Russia-China relations, the ambassador told the Global Times that “Russia and China have formed a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.
– The Daily Mail-Global Times News exchange item
