Russia, China Jointly Developing High-Tech Weapons, Putin Says

Speaking at an annual press conference on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin touted the strategic relationship between Russia and China as "a stabilising factor on the global stage".

Russia and China are jointly working to develop state-of-the-art weapons, President Vladimir Putin told his Q&A session on Thursday.

"The Chinese Army is largely equipped with the most advanced weapons systems. We even develop individual high-tech weapons [,such as aircraft and helicopters] together", Putin stressed, citing the two sides' collaboration in the space and aviation sectors.

According to him, the two countries also "develop cooperation between the armed forces", which includes "joint military exercises" and "participation in international war games" as well as "joint patrolling at sea and in the air".

Separately, Putin touted his "very trustful personal relationship" with Chinese President Xi Jinping, something that he said "helps in business".

In this regard, the Russian president pointed to Moscow bolstering economic cooperation with Beijing, adding: "Asia is developing rapidly, with China being the undisputed leader [in this process]".

Putin said that Moscow and Beijing "have already had a turnover of over one hundred billion [dollars]" and that both sides are "working in different directions", including those related to nuclear energy, space, and human rights.

He praised the two's "absolutely comprehensive partnership of a strategic nature, which has no precedent in history, at least between Russia and China".

"This intense daily work benefits both the Chinese and Russian people, and is a serious stabilising factor in the international arena", Putin emphasised.

The remarks come after a virtual meeting between Putin and Xi last week, when the Chinese president stressed that both sides "should take more joint actions to better protect" bilateral security interests, given that "at present, under the pretext of democracy and human rights, certain forces in the world arbitrarily interfere in the internal affairs of China and Russia, grossly violating international law and generally recognised norms of international relations".

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, for his part, told reporters at the time that during the virtual talks, the two "held a detailed discussion on future cooperation with regard to the [COVID-19] pandemic and agreed to strengthen working contacts between sanitary and epidemiological agencies".

In late October, the Russian Defence Ministry announced that Russian and Chinese warships had conducted their first joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean. Russia was represented by 10 ships of the Pacific Fleet, while five vessels took part in the patrol from the Chinese side.