Photo: screenshot of CCTV footage

 
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun on Monday met with the visiting Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Beijing, as the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation.

Year 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia, and the friendship between the two sides has withstood tests and been strengthened over time, said Dong.

Dong hailed the China-Russia ties, which are at an all-time high under the firm leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During the meeting, Dong said the high level of mutual trust and deep practical cooperation between the two countries can be regarded as a paradigm of major-country relations.

The Chinese and Russian militaries should follow the direction given by the two heads of state to deepen strategic coordination, improve the quality and effectiveness of cooperation, push forward the continuous development of military-to-military relations, firmly safeguard the common interests of the two countries, and jointly maintain global strategic stability.

For his part, Belousov said that Russia-China military cooperation is an important factor in maintaining global and regional peace and stability, according to the release from China's Ministry of National Defense.

The Russian Defense Minister said Russia stands ready to work with China to firmly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, continue to carry out close and efficient cooperation, constantly improve the level and quality of cooperation, jointly cope with security challenges, and push bilateral military relations to a new level.

On October 2, President Xi said that he stands ready to work with President Putin to take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties to continue expanding all-round practical cooperation, in a congratulatory message sent to Putin to mark the anniversary.

Global Times