‘Windows of Opportunity’: Putin Talks Up Russia-China Trade, Investments

On Thursday President Vladimir Putin addressed the eighth meeting of Russian Federation ambassadors and permanent envoys at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow. In his address the President outlined Russia’s main foreign policy guidelines touching upon a wide range of international problems Russian diplomats need to keep in mind in their everyday work. Vladimir Putin also mentioned the growing number of conflicts flaring up in various parts of the globe and the intensifying competition for natural resources. Underscoring the importance of a joint fight against terrorism and other modern-day threats, President Putin said that these priorities had taken center stage during the 15th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held last week in Tashkent. “We agreed to intensify our political, economic, cultural, humanitarian and information contacts, and put the organization’s enlargement on a practical footing with India and Pakistan’s accession. This really was a significant political step. I would also like to say that this was possible only through the unprecedented level of cooperation and trust in the relationship between Russia and the People’s Republic of China,” Putin said. Radio Sputnik asked Sergei Luzyanin, Acting Director of the Institute of the Far East in Moscow, who took part in Tashkent summit, to share his thoughts about the present’s state of Russian-Chinese relations.“During President Putin’s recent visit to Beijing, our two countries signed 32 agreements and made three joint statements. All this bodes very well for further progress in our relations. There will be more windows of opportunity opening for Chinese investments in Russia. Our two countries have agreed to better coordinate their foreign policy and promote their regional integration efforts,” Professor Luzyanin said. In his meeting with the ambassadors Vladimir Putin said that during his visit to Beijing, the two countries had agreed to launch negotiations on establishing a comprehensive trade and economic partnership in Eurasia as the first step towards creating a broad Eurasian partnership to involve the EAEU members, other CIS states, China, India, Pakistan, and in the future also Iran. “Let me add that this idea also received the support of Southeast Asian leaders at the Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi in May,” Putin said.