On the afternoon of December 2, 2020, Premier Li Keqiang co-chaired the 25th regular meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin via video link at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Vice Premier and Chairman of China-Russia Investment Cooperation Committee and China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee on the Chinese side Han Zheng was present.
Li Keqiang said, China and Russia, each as the other's largest neighbor, have been following a policy of good-neighborliness based on mutual respect with an eye to realizing mutual benefits and win-win results. In the face of the COVID-19, the two countries cooperate with each other to fight the pandemic and facilitate economic and social development. The several telephone conversations between President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin this year have taken bilateral ties to new heights. Despite the withering global economy and sluggish trade and investment, China and Russia make renewed progress in multiple fields. It is indicated by closer bilateral trade, blooming development of emerging business forms such as cross-border e-commerce, steady advancement of major projects of strategic importance in energy and other sectors, and new outcomes in the Far East and subnational cooperation. All these speak volumes about the strong complementarity and massive potential of bilateral cooperation. China is willing to work with Russia in drawing on the achievements and experience of cooperation to inject new impetus into the sustained and sound development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era.
Li and Mishustin listened to the relevant work reports delivered by Han Zheng, Vice Premier and Chairman of the China-Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation on the Chinese Side Sun Chunlan, Vice Premier and Chairman of the Committee of the China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and Intergovernmental Commission for Cooperation of the Northeast China and the Far East and Baikal Region of Russia on the Chinese side Hu Chunhua, as well as Russian responsible person of relevant mechanisms and First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, and Deputy Prime Ministers Tatyana Golikova, Alexander Novak, Yury Trutnev and Dmitry Chernyshenko.
Li and Mishustin highly appreciated the effective and pragmatic work made by each committee of the two sides over the past year, hailing the sound momentum in exchanges and cooperation between the two countries at multiple levels in various fields. Li pointed out, the two countries make joint efforts in upholding the international order with the United Nations as the core and championing multilateralism and free trade, which serves the interests of not only the two countries but also the world. China is ready to increasingly align the Belt and Road Initiative with Russia's development strategies, consolidate the cornerstone of cooperation in traditional areas, strive for breakthroughs in trade, energy, agriculture, and other areas of cooperation, and enhance the level of cooperation. China will also accelerate cooperation with Russia in new areas such as joint manufacturing, peaceful utilization of nuclear power, digital economy, and SMEs. China will strengthen people-to-people exchanges with Russia and deepen cooperation in education, youth, tourism, and the Winter Olympics to consolidate the public support for friendship.
Li briefed the current economic situation in China, and pointed out that China, as the largest developing country, is the most promising growth market. China is willing to share development opportunities, expand two-way opening-up, and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation to strive for more achievements in various aspects of bilateral cooperation.
Mishustin said, facing the shock of the COVID-19, Russia and China have been offering each other support and assistance, and their dialogues and cooperation across all mechanisms and fields have maintained efficient operation, which highlights China-Russia high-level comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era. Russia is willing to work with China to fight the pandemic and enhance cooperation in the research and development of vaccines and medicines. Both sides need to take effective measures to get two-way trade and investment back on the track of growth as soon as possible, cement cooperation in industry, agriculture, transportation, energy and infrastructure, tap the potential in the digital economy and other new growth areas. Russia congratulates China on the successful landing of Chang'e-5 spacecraft on the near side of the moon and is willing to accelerate space cooperation with China. The two sides should hold "Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation" to enhance cooperation in basic and applied sciences, deepen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between local governments, and strengthen strategic coordination under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to promote the further development of bilateral ties.
Premier Li and Prime Minister Mishustin announced the Joint Communiqué of the 25th Regular Meeting between the Heads of Government of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, as well as other cooperation documents in fields such as finance, customs, and intellectual property.
Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Head of the National Development and Reform Commission He Lifeng attended the meeting.