"Our Views Coincide" - Putin Talks Up Russia's Alliance With China

In what should come as a surprise to nobody, as the United States continues to poke and prod at China and Russia, those two countries have become even closer friends.

In an interview conducted with Xinhua, Russian President Vladimir Putin talked up his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and praised the level of trust the two governments have for one another. "To say we have a strategic cooperation is not enough anymore. This is why we have started talking about a comprehensive partnership and strategic collaboration. Comprehensive means that we work virtually on all major avenues; strategic means that we attach enormous inter-government importance to this work" Putin told Xinhua.

Putin spoke of the important role that China has played in its trade, specifically the energy market and high-speed rail projects. Recall that in April we reported that China imported a record amount of Russian oil in April, as the two nations continue to push for the de-dollarization of global trade. Putin also pointed out that Russia and China were cooperating on military-technical items as well.

As RT reports

China is increasing its presence in our energy market, it is a major shareholder in one of our significant projects, Yamal LNG, and it has acquired 10 percent of the shares in one of our leading chemical holdings, SIBUR. We welcome these Chinese investments not only as a means of placing financial resources but also as a means of further developing our partnership.

Intensive work is underway on the famous Moscow-Kazan High-Speed Rail Line Project. Some railway sections will allow for a train speed of up to 400 kilometers per hour. We pay considerable attention to these prospects; this can be only the beginning of our large-scale infrastructure cooperation.

Our interaction in the humanitarian field is no less important. Thus, we have held cross?years of China in Russia and Russia in China, the Year of Youth Exchange, the Year of the Russian Language and, accordingly, the Year of the Chinese Language, the Year of Tourist Exchange, etc. Some events were initiated by the Russian side, and others – by the Chinese side; but they all have been very successful and will undoubtedly contribute to building an atmosphere of confidence between our peoples. These projects are as important as, for example, those in the energy sphere, such as the huge Power of Siberia project to supply up to 38 billion cubic meters of Russian gas per annum via a newly established eastern route from Russia to China. Add to this diplomatic, military, and military-technical cooperation.

In regards to collaborating on international affairs, Putin said that China and Russia's views are quite similar, and that the two consult each other on global and regional issues.

Apart from our joint work in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, we cooperate within BRICS, which in fact was jointly established by us, and we actively collaborate at the UN.

I would take the liberty to recall that it was this country, the Soviet Union at that time, which made every effort to give the People's Republic of China its deserved place among the permanent members of the Security Council. We have always believed that this is the place for the People's Republic of China. Today, we are particularly pleased that this has happened, since our views on international affairs, as diplomats say, are either very similar or coincide. At the same time, this similarity or coincidence is backed by concrete work, including efforts on the technical level. We are in constant contact and we consult on global and regional issues. Since we consider each other close allies, naturally, we always listen to our partners and take into account each other’s interests.

I am certain that our joint work during my visit to the People's Republic of China will proceed in the same way.

* * *

So, while the US provokes, ties are strengthening between Russia and China. We're sure China's order of 1,000 heavy transport aircraft and Russian vessels being spotted near disputed islands in the East China Sea are both just a coincidence and not a red flag that if the US engages with one, it will wind up with two problems.

Credit to Zero Hedge