Putin wishes Chinese comrades “successful 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China”

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin wished his “Chinese comrades a successful 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China.”

On Wednesday, September 7, Vladimir Putin met with the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Li Zhanshu, ahead of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which will be held in Beijing, opening on October 16, 2022.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin said: “Please convey our best regards and wishes to my good friend, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping.

“This is not your first visit to our country, Russia, and we know you very well. We attach great significance to your visit, which is fresh proof of the special nature of Russia-China relations.”

He added: “I will meet with President Xi Jinping soon, during the events related to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

“I would like to wish all our Chinese friends and all Chinese comrades a successful 20^th Congress of the Communist Party of China.”

“Our strategic partnership is growing very successfully,” he said.

“Our trade is increasing. Last year, it grew considerably, by 36 per cent and reached US$140 billion.”

He added: “It continues to grow and has gone up another 30 per cent in the first six months of this year. By all appearances, our trade will soon reach the target goal of US$200 billion.

“I know that you have a busy agenda in Russia. Apart from attending the forum here, you will also travel to Moscow, where you will meet with the heads of the two houses of Russia’s Federal Assembly.

“We set a high value on the development of our interparliamentary ties and on the personal contribution of the heads of houses of our two countries’ parliaments.”

On Tuesday, September 6, Russian energy company Gazprom announced that gas transactions between Russia and China would now be paid in their respective national currencies of roubles and RMB.