INTERNATIONAL: “Chinese President Xi Jinping is a world-class statesman, who is very knowledgeable and ready for anything,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
China and Russia, two of the world's major countries, are holding hands even tighter to boost their China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, and jointly help anchor a chaotic world in this turbulent era.
Since 2013, Xi and Putin have met more than 30 times on various occasions, which is rare in the field of international diplomacy. They have celebrated their birthdays, exchanged gifts, and made and tasted food together.
These frequent exchanges are also a testament to the sincere friendship between the two leaders and the two countries.
"I have a very close friendship with Xi. Xi is easy to get along with, and he is sincere with people. Meanwhile, he is a very reliable partner and good friend," said Putin.
In March 22, 2013, Xi has chosen Russia as the destination for his overseas visit after he was elected president, opening up a new chapter in the Sino-Russian relationship.
Putin has received Xi by the highest protocol where a mounted guard of honor for the first time ever welcomed a foreign head of state to the Kremlin. Xi also became the first foreign leader to visit the Russian Defense Ministry and armed forces command center in Moscow. The two leaders held extensive discussions, lasting a total of eight hours.
"He loves analyzing problems and is excellent at it. It is interesting to discuss international and economic issues with him," said Putin.
From a series of joint statements announced during 2013 to 2017 to deepen China-Russia ties, to the upgrade of China-Russia relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era in 2019, each step forward in China-Russia relations can hardly be achieved without the two presidents' leadership.
And there are numerous touching moments in their interactions. In 2018, before an ice hockey friendly match between Chinese and Russian youth teams held in Tianjin, Xi and Putin posed for group photos with the teams and jointly dropped the puck to kick off the match. In 2019, the two leaders attended the inauguration ceremony of the panda house in Moscow Zoo, and cordially interacted with excited children.
"In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that my relationship with Xi is very close. We are friends," said Putin.
During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Indonesia in 2013, which coincided with Putin's 61st birthday, Xi surprised Putin with a birthday cake and celebrated the day with him.
"President Xi is the only state leader who has ever celebrated my birthday with me. So far I haven't made such relations or arrangements with other foreign leaders, but I did it with President Xi. My birthday we spent together was simple, as I said publicly, and there was nothing secret about it. I can tell you that we had a cup of vodka and ordered some sausages -- after we finished the day's work and he celebrated my birthday with me," said Putin.
Six years later, in 2019, during the fifth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Putin also prepared a giant box of ice cream for Xi's 66th birthday.
"Because President Xi Jinping once mentioned that he liked Russian ice cream, I brought some for him as a gift. We exchanged some small gifts between us," said Putin.
During Putin’s visit to Shibadong Village in central China's Hunan Province in 2013, Xi has proposed the idea "targeted poverty alleviation," and pledged to lift all rural residents out of poverty and eliminate absolute poverty under the current standards in all poor counties and regions by 2020.
"Xi, like many other leaders, has sought to maximize the results of his work for the benefit of his people," said Putin.
On January 27, 2021, Putin praised China's achievements in poverty reduction in his speech at the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda in Moscow.
The battle against poverty entered a crucial stage for China in the year of 2020 with only the hardest nuts remain to be cracked. However, the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world and took away millions of lives, which added difficulties to China's fight against poverty. At critical times of fighting against the pandemic, Putin and Xi spoke frequently on the phone.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi and Putin have maintained close exchanges through phone talks, video conferences and other online activities, ensuring China-Russia relations advance with a sustained momentum toward higher levels.
"I think he is a world-class statesman, who is very knowledgeable and ready for anything," said Putin.
In 2017, Putin awarded Xi the highest honor of Russia, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called. A year later, Xi awarded Putin the first-ever Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China.
"It is my great honor to present Russia's highest state award, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, to our greatest friend, President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China," said Putin.
