China wants to deepen ‘everlasting’ good ties with Russia, President Xi Jinping tells Moscow’s top lawmaker

Meeting top Russian lawmaker Vyacheslav Volodin in Beijing on Wednesday, Xi said the two countries shared vast common interests, and China was “ready to work with Russia to continuously deepen our everlasting good neighbourly relationship, comprehensive strategic cooperation and mutually beneficial win-win partnership”.

The remarks echoed Xi’s comments to Putin last month, when he said such a decision was “not a makeshift measure, but a permanent strategy”.

As the two countries take their “no limits” partnership forward, high-level legislative exchanges have intensified.

Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, is in China for a three-day visit at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Zhao Leji.

He arrived in Beijing at the head of a Russian parliamentary delegation on Tuesday, just over four months after a visit by Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council, or upper house of parliament.

Xi Jinping, meeting Russian parliament head, vows more Beijing-Moscow cooperation

Stronger cooperation between the legislatures had an important role to play in ensuring a stable and far-reaching relationship, Xi said.

“I hope that the State Duma of Russia and the National People’s Congress of China will strengthen the exchange of legislative experience … and provide more complete legislation support for bilateral cooperation,” he told Volodin, referencing China’s highest organ of state power.

Areas where legislative guarantees were needed included China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union, Xi said, referring respectively to Beijing’s multinational infrastructure and investment strategy and Moscow’s free trade partnership with four former Soviet states.

Multilateral platforms Xi highlighted for cooperation included the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Brics and Group of 20.

Volodin said there was “a high degree of consensus” among the parties of the State Duma in favour of developing friendly relations with China, CCTV reported.

“Russia is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the legislatures and between the political parties of the two countries, actively implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and deepen friendship and mutual trust between the two peoples,” he was quoted as telling Xi.

Volodin specifically reiterated Russia’s adherence to the “one China” policy on Taiwan and support for Chinese national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Tuesday, Volodin met Zhao, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, comprised of China’s top lawmakers.

Zhao said that the two legislatures should boost exchanges to provide solid legal guarantees for cooperation in field including economy and trade, finance, investment, security and information technology.