Li Qiang and Vladimir Putin discuss expansion of Russia-China cooperation

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss the further development of bilateral relations and practical cooperation.

Li conveyed greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and noted that the leaders of the two countries had already met twice this year and outlined further plans for bilateral ties.

The Chinese premier said Beijing is ready to strengthen strategic coordination with Moscow, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and make better use of the complementary strengths of the two economies.

The two sides focused on cooperation in energy and resources, trade and investment, transportation and other areas.

Li also called for stronger people-to-people exchanges through the China-Russia Years of Education, as well as closer cooperation in culture, tourism, sports and youth programs.

China also expressed readiness to deepen coordination with Russia within multilateral platforms including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS.

Putin, for his part, asked Li to convey his greetings to Xi and highlighted the role of the regular meeting mechanism between the two countries' heads of government, which has been operating for 30 years.

The Russian president said Moscow is interested in expanding practical cooperation with China in energy, agriculture, space, civilian nuclear energy, information technology, artificial intelligence and transportation.

Putin also said Russia supports China's hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting this year and its assumption of the BRICS chairmanship next year.

Li returned to Beijing on Thursday after completing his visit and co-chairing the 31st regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government.

According to CCTV+, the two sides reaffirmed their intention to expand practical cooperation and coordination on international and regional issues.