Putin: Russia–China cooperation at unprecedentedly high level

BEIJING, Apr 26 (PRIME) -- The Russia–China trade turnover exceeded U.S. $108 billion in 2018, and trade and economic relations of the two states have been developing faster than expected to an unprecedentedly high level, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday starting a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping.

“Our cooperation has … become an example of how relations between countries should be built in the modern world. In 2018, trade turnover increased 24.5% to a record of $108 billion,” he said, adding that the two leaders set the goal of $100 billion last year.

Putin said that the current examples of international sanctions are illegitimate protectionist measures made bypassing the U.N. Security Council that pose the risk of fragmenting the global economic, political, and economic space. It is important to work out an efficient response to these risks, he said.

“I said time and time again, and I will reiterate that these negative tendencies create breeding grounds for terrorism, extremism, and illegal migration. They become a reason for old regional conflicts to reignite and for new conflicts to spark,” he said.

Eurasia can become an example of a positive agenda that should allow the countries to find solutions to these and other problems. Russia is building the Eurasian Economic Union on principles of sovereignty, rights, and legitimate interests of each state, and teaming up with China’s Belt And Road Initiative meets its interests, he said.

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