03:03
Russia-China relations to grow stronger, Putin says, after clinching landslide election win
Russia-China relations will become stronger, Vladimir Putin says in post-election victory speech
- Russian president wins election in a landslide, extending his rule for six more years
- Vladimir Putin praises China, which has forged a ‘no limits’ partnership with Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin forecast that Russia-China relations would become stronger in the coming years.
Putin won 87.8 per cent of the vote, the highest ever result in Russia’s post-Soviet history, according to an exit poll by pollster the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM).
The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) put Putin on 87 per cent. First official results indicated the polls were accurate.
“Our relations have been taking shape over the past two decades. They are very strong and we are complementing each other.”
Referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Putin said: “I’m sure that this relationship will be maintained, including, to a great extent, thanks to our good personal relationship with the president of the People’s Republic of China.
“But the most important thing is that our national interests coincide, and this creates a favourable environment for resolving our common tasks and in the sphere of international relations, where relations between Russia and China serve as a factor of stability,” he added.
Though not a formal alliance, China and Russia have forged a partnership with “no limits”.
Tensions with the United States and its allies over the Ukraine war have pushed the two countries closer.
China has replaced Europe as Russia’s biggest energy buyer, while Russia’s reliance on Chinese products has also increased.
