Putin congratulated “dear friend” Xi Jinping on his third term as the leader of China and welcomed the strengthening of ties between the countries. Jinping, 69, was unanimously elected president for a third term on Friday
Vladimir Putin on Friday congratulated Xi Jinping on securing his historic third term as China’s leader and hailed the strengthening of ties between the two countries. “Dear friend, please accept sincere congratulations on your re-election,” the Kremlin said in a statement. “Russia greatly appreciates your personal contribution to strengthening ties and strategic cooperation between our nations.”
Putin added: “I am sure that by working together we will ensure the development of fruitful Russian-Chinese cooperation in all kinds of different fields. We will continue to coordinate joint work on the most important regional and international issues.”
Xi Jinping won a third term as China’s president on Friday, marking his big rise to become the country’s most powerful leader in generations. China has become an increasingly valuable ally of Russia, importing Russian energy and goods and softening the impact of Western sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia, ostracized by the West in light of the invasion of Ukraine, has benefited from increasingly close ties with China. Chinese relations with the United States have also become particularly tense in recent months, partly because of economic competition and the status of Taiwan.
At the end of February, American officials raised concerns that China would support the Russian war effort by supplying drones to Russia. The reappointment of Xi Jinping as president is expected to mark the continuation of the close relationship between the two countries. But on the other hand, relations with the United States are at an unprecedented low. For decades now, when the US criticizes China for violating human rights.
The appointment of Chinese President Xi Jinping to a third term is unprecedented as head of state by the National People’s Congress, Xi is expected to be China’s longest-serving head of state since the Communist Party’s victory in 1949. On Friday, he was officially granted five more years as president. The appointment was unanimously approved by more than 2,900 lawmakers gathered in Beijing, who voted unanimously for the appointment.