Moscow – Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and later the country’s President Vladimir Putin met today in Moscow with the Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, General Zhang Yu-xiu. This was reported by the TASS agency. According to TASS, Shoigu emphasized the importance of Russian-Chinese military cooperation in the interview. However, the Russian Minister of Defense and Putin also underlined that the goal of Russia and China is not to create a military alliance.
“Unlike some aggressive Western countries, we are not creating a military bloc. Relations between Russia and China are a model of strategic cooperation, based on trust and respect,” Shoigu said during a meeting with the Chinese general, according to TASS.
“Russia and China are not creating any military union along the lines of the Cold War era. Our cooperation has a constructive character and is an important factor in stabilizing the international situation,” Putin also said later, according to Russian media.
Shoigu recalled that the last time he met with Zhang Yu-hsien was at the end of October during a security forum in Beijing. “Such dynamics of contacts testify to the high level of cooperation between our states,” he emphasized. He added that during this year Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping also met twice in person.
In October, Putin met with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on the sidelines of a summit on the so-called new Silk Road plan. In March, the Chinese president was on a three-day visit to Moscow.
China Russia Army Diplomacy Putin PHOTO VERSION 2
