China and Russia should work together to maintain global strategic stability as the international situation has become increasingly turbulent since the beginning of this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a virtual meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

During the virtual meeting, Xi extended best wishes to Putin and the Russian people on the arrival of spring. Xi noted that Wednesday coincides with the Beginning of Spring on the Chinese lunar calendar, which represents a new start. He expressed his willingness to work with Putin on this auspicious day to jointly chart a new blueprint for China-Russia relations.

Putin reciprocated the good wishes, saying that China-Russia relations will flourish and advance vigorously. He also conveyed his best wishes to Xi and all Chinese people for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Reflecting on the past year, Xi pointed out that his two previous meetings with Putin have steered China-Russia relations into a new phase of development.

Xi said China and Russia have commemorated the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, showing the two countries' commitment to safeguarding the achievements of World War II and upholding international fairness and justice.

Xi said that progress was made in bilateral economic and trade interactions, people-to-people exchanges and cultural cooperation over the past year, commending the commitment of both sides to multilateral cooperation and their shared dedication to establishing a more equitable and rational global governance system. 　　 The year 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination, the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia, and the launch of the China-Russia Years of Education, said Xi.

He said the two countries should increase high-level exchanges and strengthen pragmatic cooperation across various fields, and ensure that bilateral relations continue to develop along the right track with deeper strategic cooperation and more proactive assumption of responsibilities of major countries.

Xi said as responsible major countries and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and Russia have the obligation to encourage the international community to uphold fairness and justice, firmly safeguard the victorious outcomes of World War II, and resolutely defend the UN-centered international system and the basic norms of international law.

For his part, Putin said both Russia and China commemorated the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II to safeguard world peace and uphold historical truths.

He noted the deepening and substantial cooperation in trade, energy, science and technology and agriculture between the two sides, and hailed the success of the China-Russia Years of Culture and the introduction of a mutual visa exemption policy in further facilitating people-to-people exchanges.

Looking ahead, Putin expressed strong confidence in the future of Russia-China relations. He called for continued unwavering support for each other's national sovereignty, security, economic and social development, and prosperity, alongside promoting educational and cultural exchanges for the mutual benefit of their peoples.

In the face of complex and volatile international landscape, Russia is ready to strengthen strategic cooperation with China on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS, thereby injecting positive energy into international affairs, Putin said, adding that Russia will actively support China's hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen City this year.

During their virtual meeting, the two leaders also conducted in-depth exchanges of views on international and regional issues of mutual concern.