China and Russia have elevated their strategic partnership to a new level following Xi’s visit to Moscow, as the two countries seek to offset pressure from the US, said the South China Morning Post.
The decision to upgrade bilateral ties to “comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in new era” was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the two Presidents shared common ground on a wide range of issues, including trade, Iran and the Arctic Sea.
“With the US recently imposing extreme pressure and unilateral sanctions on Iran, tensions over the nuclear issue in Iran and even the entire Middle East have become worrying,” Xi said.
“China and Russia share a highly unified view on the Iran nuclear issue, and we both hope that all parties involved can remain reasonable and restrained, and strengthen dialogue and consultation to reduce tensions,” Xi added.