BEIJING, April 18 -- Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Li Shangfu held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on April 18, 2023.
Both sides held that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has maintained high-level progression. The two militaries have cooperated closely and made plentiful collaborative achievements in various fields, continuously enriching the strategic connotation of the development of China-Russia relationship.
The two sides agreed to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, maintain close high-level communication, improve the mil-to-mil communication mechanism, expand cooperation between the theaters, services and academies of the two militaries, so as to make new contributions to promoting the high quality development of China-Russia relations, maintaining world and regional security and stability, and serving the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
During the talks, both sides reiterated the firm supports for each other in safeguarding their respective core interests, first and foremost, on the issues concerning sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and development, and resolutely opposed external interference in internal affairs.
