The "People's Daily" (February 04, 2022) publicised the written interview given by Russian President Putin
on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics to Shen Haixiong, director and editorin-chief of China Central Radio and Television. While the interview focussed mainly on sports, Putin did say
that "China ranks first among Russia's trading partners. Despite the coronavirus restrictions, preliminary
figures show that bilateral trade reached a record high of $140 billion last year." He added "China is our
strategic partner on the international stage. On most issues on the global agenda, we are aligned or very
close. We maintain close coordination within major multilateral organizations and mechanisms such as the
United Nations, the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the G20, the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation, and the East Asia Summit, which have a stabilizing effect on the current complex world
situation". He said in conclusion "the concepts we have established in the Russia-China Treaty of GoodNeighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation have brought the partnership between our two countries to an
unprecedented high level, with a qualitative change in its nature and scale, and for further joint efforts. to
create the conditions".
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