China, Russia stress non-interference in countries' internal affairs

BEIJING - China and Russia said Thursday that the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, one of the basic norms governing international relations, should be upheld.

In a phone conversation between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the two sides also pledged to jointly preserve global and regional strategic stability.

The international situation is at an important watershed, Wang noted, adding that at such a time, it is even more important for China and Russia to strengthen strategic communication.

Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered speeches respectively at the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda.

The two leaders echoed each other's positions in their speeches, voicing strong determination to uphold multilateralism and jointly tackle global challenges at the beginning of the year, Wang said.

The two heads of state, he said, put forward a China-Russia plan to jointly prevail over the COVID-19 pandemic and revitalize the global economy, injecting positive energy and stability into the volatile international landscape.

The two heads of state have also agreed to celebrate this year the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, pointing out the direction for deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries, Wang said.

Both sides should take this opportunity to add new dimensions to this important treaty and send a clear message to the world that the two countries will safeguard the security of themselves and along their peripheries, he added.

Both China and Russia attach great importance to innovation, Wang noted, adding that the two countries should join hands to reinforce complementary advantages and strive for major achievements by holding the Russia-China Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation.

The two sides should earnestly promote trade and investment facilitation on the basis of mutual benefit, synergize the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union to establish regional industrial chains, supply chains and value chains, so as to lay a solid foundation for mutual benefit and win-win results, Wang said.

Wang recalled Lavrov's annual press conference in which the Russian minister said "we can talk endlessly about Russian-Chinese cooperation that embraces a very wide range of spheres," saying that China totally agrees with the remarks.

China sees no limit or restricted area for China-Russia strategic coordination that is all-weather and all-dimensional, Wang said.

The two countries have conducted efficient coordination within multilateral frameworks and safeguarded international fairness and justice as well as legitimate interests of developing countries, he added.

China firmly supports the measures Russia has taken to safeguard its national sovereignty and social stability, and is willing to work with Russia to continuously strengthen coordination on such issues as rejecting interference in internal affairs and fighting against false information, Wang said.

For his part, Lavrov said the importance of Russia-China relations has long gone beyond bilateral to gain international and regional significance. The two heads of state have maintained close exchanges, which has provided important strategic guidance for the development of bilateral relations, he said.

Lavrov said Russia is very satisfied with the anti-pandemic cooperation between the two countries.

Russia is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in vaccine research, development and production, as well as in pandemic prevention and control, so as to eliminate the impact of the pandemic on practical cooperation, he said.

Russia and China should intensify strategic coordination and steadily advance bilateral and multilateral agendas within the year, Lavrov said.

Noting Russia is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China on international and regional issues, Lavrov said the two sides should firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, jointly and staunchly defend multilateralism and safeguard international and regional stability.

The two sides also had in-depth exchanges on issues of common concern such as relations with the United States, and reached new consensus.