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In a historic election victory, President Vladimir Putin secured 87.33% of all votes cast, as reported by official election data on Monday, with 99% of polling stations already reporting, according to state news agency RIA.
Responding to Putin’s victory, China, a key ally of Russia, expressed its congratulations during a routine press conference.
In a statement, Lin Jian, the foreign ministry spokesman, described the China-Russia relationship as “each other’s largest neighbors and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners in the new era.”
Jian also added that the bilateral ties between the two nations, especially as 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia.
“We firmly believe that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia relations will continue to move forward,” Jian said.
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In response, President Putin commended Beijing and expressed confidence in strengthening bilateral relations.
Russian state news agency TASS quoted Putin affirming, “I am sure that in the coming years, we will only strengthen and build up our relations and achieve common successes for the benefit of the Chinese and Russian peoples.”
Putin underscored the alignment of state interests between China and Russia, citing it as the cornerstone for addressing shared challenges in international affairs.
“The most important thing is the coincidence of state interests. This creates a very good tone for solving common problems in the field of international relations,” Putin stated.
“The structure of China’s economy is changing towards innovation. We face exactly the same tasks in Russia,” he added.
