China to Continue Supporting Development of Russia's Far East: Ambassador to Russia

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Beijing will continue supporting the development of Russia's Far East and promote bilateral cooperation in the region, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui has told Sputnik.

"China is a very important partner for Russia's Far East. China intends to make full use of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) platform to further strengthen comprehensive cooperation with Russia in trade, energy, agriculture, infrastructure building, science and technology, education, healthcare, culture, and other areas, as well as further support and participate in the development of Russia's Far East, contribute to achieving tangible results in Russia-China cooperation in the Far East," Zhang said.

The ambassador recalled that the Chinese delegation was the biggest to attend the EEF, which took place in the Russian city of Vladivostok from September 5-9.

Many of China's enterprises have signed cooperation agreements with Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the forum, Zhang added.

Moscow and Beijing will continue taking measures to maintain trade and economic cooperation and expect to set a new historical record in bilateral trade in 2022, Zhang Hanhui said.

Since the onset of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, China has been facing intense pressure from the West trying to hinder cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

"This year, in the face of the complicated international environment, the coronavirus pandemic, and other severe challenges, China-Russia trade and economic cooperation showed great flexibility and showed impressive growth contrary to general trends," Zhang said on the occasion of the National Day of China, celebrated on October 1.

The ambassador said that the turnover had surpassed $117.2 billion during the first eight months of 2022, up 31.4% year-on-year.

"I believe that at the end of the year, the volume of bilateral trade will set a new historic record. China together with Russia will continue to actively take effective measures to maintain normal economic and trade cooperation between our countries and ensure the stability of production and supply chains," Zhang said.

Moscow and Beijing will be developing cooperation in energy, car manufacturing, agriculture, digital economy, green development, and biomedicine to increase the scale and quality of bilateral relations between the countries, the ambassador said.

China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, have a common responsibility for maintaining global peace, Chinese Ambassador to Russia said.

According to Zhang, in September, Russia and China took part in the Vostok 2022 military drills in accordance with the annual plan for defense cooperation. After that, the ships of the Chinese navy and the Russian navy made the second joint patrol in the Western Pacific.

"As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia have a common responsibility for maintaining world peace. Successful joint maritime patrols help strengthen strategic trust between China and Russia, stimulate the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership between them, and contribute to maintaining stability and security in the region," the ambassador said.

Joint patrols are aimed at deepening practical friendly cooperation between the Chinese navy and the Russian navy, increasing the level of interaction between the military, and strengthening the ability to jointly counter threats to maritime security, Zhang added.

These actions are included in the annual plan of Chinese-Russian defense cooperation and are not directed against third countries, he added.