Russia and China jointly oppose "discriminatory" sanctions in international trade that hinder the socio-economic development of the BRICS countries and the whole world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a written interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua on the sidelines of his visit to China, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The two countries will continue to work to reduce mutual trade barriers and establish a fair, multipolar international order based on the countries that constitute the majority on the international stage, Putin also said.
"We are actively interacting with China within the framework of BRICS in order to increase the influence of the organization as one of the main mechanisms of international order," the Russian leader added.
In the interview, Putin called his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a true leader of a major world power, a strong-willed leader, possessing strategic thinking and a global outlook, who pays special attention to the national interests of his country, TASS reported.
Putin starts today his four-day visit to China, which the Kremlin called "unprecedented". The Russian leader will first attend a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, before heading to Beijing, where he will hold talks with Xi Jinping and attend a grand military parade to mark the end of World War II and the victory over Japan, Reuters reported.