In the Russian city of Kazan, Putin, host of the summit of the bloc of emerging economies that began yesterday, told Xi Jinping that he intends to “further strengthen” ties with Beijing, which he considers to be a “stability factor” on the international stage.
“Russia and China intend to strengthen their cooperation to guarantee stability,” said the Russian official during a meeting with the Chinese head of state, adding that relations between the two states are “an example” for all countries, as they are mutually beneficial and do not respond to circumstances.
Xi Jinping, in turn, praised his Russian counterpart for the strength of bilateral ties in a “chaotic” international context.
“The world is undergoing profound changes, unprecedented in a century. The international situation is chaotic (…). But I am firmly convinced that the deep friendship that has united China and Russia from generation to generation will not change,” he said.
Xi thanked Putin for the invitation to visit Kazan, capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, and recalled that this is the third meeting between the two leaders in 2024.
The BRICS group, initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded this year to nine members with the integration of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
The bloc seeks to become a powerful counterweight to the West in global politics and trade events, which are of particular interest to Moscow and Tehran, which face European and North American sanctions.
The Russian head of state will preside over a dinner in Kazan tonight, which will be attended by leaders of the nine BRICS member countries and representatives of around 20 countries interested in joining the group. The group’s summit runs until Thursday.
