China-Russia mutual trust improving

The fruitful visit to Russia of State Councilor and Defense Minister Li Shangfu has "deeply demonstrated the deepened mutual trust and independent military cooperation between the two countries", a spokesman said on Wednesday.

Li made the visit from Sunday to Wednesday at the invitation of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and held talks with Shoigu during the visit, his first overseas trip after taking office in March.

"Through sincere and friendly meetings and talks with Russian state and military leaders, the two countries have reached a lot of consensus," Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said in a news release.

Emphasizing the significance of President Xi Jinping's Russia visit last month, Tan said that the defense minister's visit deeply embodies the strategic guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, the deepening of bilateral mutual trust and the independence of China-Russia military cooperation. The visit also demonstrated the aspirations and responsibilities of the Chinese military to pursue peace and reach out to the world in the new era.

"The two defense ministers had candid, in-depth and productive exchanges, and outlined the blueprint of exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries in a coming period," he said.

"They agreed to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, keep close high-level communication, improve the China-Russia military exchange mechanism, expand cooperation among theater commands, services and academies, and enrich the concept of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era," said Tan.

The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on the international and regional security situation, the spokesman said, adding that both sides reaffirmed their mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests, and reiterated their joint resistance to attempts by external forces to interfere in each other's internal affairs.

The Russian side said it opposes "Taiwan independence" in any form and firmly supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, he noted.

The implementation of the Global Security Initiatives was another focus during Li's visit, Tan said, stressing that China is ready to further consolidate and strengthen strategic coordination with Russia, practice true multilateralism, oppose unilateralism and hegemonism, and firmly safeguard international fairness and justice.

The Chinese military would strengthen exchanges and communication with the militaries of other countries, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, firmly fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations, and jointly respond to common security challenges, he added.

"The Chinese military will make new and greater contributions to safeguarding the country's interests related to sovereignty, security and development, maintaining world peace and stability, and helping with the building of a community with a shared future for mankind," said Tan.