Ahead of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, President Xi Jinping has hailed Beijing’s ties with Russia as the “most stable, mature, and strategically significant” among major world powers. In a meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Xi called the China-Russia relationship a “stable source of world peace” and emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Xi stressed that both countries should work closely to safeguard their security and development interests, unite the Global South, and promote multilateralism while advancing the international order towards greater fairness and justice.

The statement comes as China prepares to host Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the upcoming SCO summit in Tianjin.