Russia says interaction with China has ‘stabilizing effect’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Russian defense minister on Tuesday told his Chinese counterpart that their countries' interactions had a “stabilizing effect” in the world and helped reduce the chances of a conflict.

“The coordination of our efforts in the international arena has a stabilizing effect on the situation in the world, helps to reduce the potential for conflict,” Sergey Shoygu said in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu, who arrived on a four-day visit to Moscow on Sunday.

Congratulating Li on his appointment as defense minister and wishing him success, Shoygu said his experience will contribute to the development of the Chinese military and the expansion of military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

He appreciated Li’s visit to Russia as his first trip abroad since assuming office, noting that it is important for the two countries to assess “the essence of the ongoing transformation of the global geopolitical landscape."

"I am convinced that today's meeting will serve to further strengthen the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership in the defense sphere and will make it possible to frankly discuss topical issues of global and regional security," Shoygu added.

For his part, Li said Russia and China intend to deepen their military cooperation to take it "to a new level."

He said his visit to Russia aims to “demonstrate to the outside world the high level of development of Chinese-Russian relations and demonstrate a firm determination to strengthen the strategic cooperation between the armed forces of China and Russia."

Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and the two hailed a "new era" of cooperation.

In February, Beijing published a 12-point peace plan to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, which broke out last year.