Li Qiang and Mishustin co-chair 31st China-Russia prime ministers' meeting
In short
Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin co-chaired the 31st regular meeting of the two countries' prime ministers in St Petersburg on the morning of 21 October. They signed a joint communique and agreed cooperation documents in trade, space, science and technology, and education.
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Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin co-chaired the 31st regular meeting of the two countries' prime ministers in St Petersburg on the morning of 21 October, according to CLS, Yicai and Jiemian, which carried the report. Yicai attributed its text to Xinhua. China News Service published the Xinhua dispatch's lead line. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Li arrived at Pulkovo airport in St Petersburg on the evening of 20 October, local time, on a chartered plane, at Mishustin's invitation, China News Service reported. State Councilor and State Council Secretary-General Wu Zhenglong was among those travelling with him. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshenko and Chinese ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui met him at the airport. He came from Tajikistan, where he had made an official visit and attended the 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government. [ 1 ]
On arrival, Li said this year marks the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation. He said the heads of state had met twice this year and that China was willing to work with Russia towards deeper, more solid and more resilient cooperation. [ 1 ]
At the meeting, Li said the two sides had used cooperation to offset instability in the external environment. He said the new-era comprehensive strategic partnership was entering a new stage of faster development and that China was ready to turn the leaders' consensus into concrete results. Mishustin said Russia-China relations were at their highest level in history and that bilateral trade and economic cooperation was moving well. He said Russia was ready to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
The prime ministers heard reports from the investment, energy and people-to-people cooperation committees, the committee for the prime ministers' regular meetings, and the committee for cooperation between China's northeast and Russia's Far East. They commended the committees' work over the past year. They agreed to advance cooperation in trade and investment, energy and resources, connectivity, aerospace, finance and industry, and to foster new growth drivers in artificial intelligence, biotechnology and the digital economy. They also agreed to run the China-Russia Year of Education together and to step up exchanges in tourism, culture, youth and media. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
After the meeting the prime ministers signed the Joint Communique of the 31st Regular Meeting of the Chinese and Russian Prime Ministers. The sides also reached cooperation documents in trade, space, science and technology, and education. CLS reported at 01:20 on 22 October that the full text of the communique had been published, and China News Service carried the full text, attributed to Xinhua, later that morning. The documents available here do not reproduce its contents. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The documents show both governments describing relations as strong and agreeing to expand cooperation in several fields. The text of the signed communique was published after the meeting, but the available documents give none of its contents.
Key facts
- Li Qiang arrived at Pulkovo airport in St Petersburg on the evening of 20 October, local time, at the invitation of Mishustin, for the 31st regular China-Russia prime ministers' meeting. [ 1 ]
- Li and Mishustin co-chaired the meeting in St Petersburg on the morning of 21 October. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The two prime ministers heard reports from the China-Russia investment, energy, and people-to-people cooperation committees, the committee for the prime ministers' regular meetings, and the committee for cooperation between China's northeast and Russia's Far East. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- They agreed to advance cooperation in trade and investment, energy and resources, connectivity, aerospace, finance and industry, and to foster new growth drivers in artificial intelligence, biotechnology and the digital economy. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- After the meeting they signed the Joint Communique of the 31st Regular Meeting of the Chinese and Russian Prime Ministers, and the sides reached cooperation documents in trade, space, science and technology, and education. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The full text of the joint communique was published, with China News Service carrying it as a Xinhua report from St Petersburg dated 21 October. [ 7 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Li Qiang and Mishustin co-chaired the 31st regular China-Russia prime ministers' meeting in St Petersburg on the morning of 21 October. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The prime ministers signed the joint communique of the meeting, and the sides reached cooperation documents in trade, space, science and technology, and education. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Li Qiang arrived in St Petersburg on the evening of 20 October after visiting Tajikistan and attending the 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government. [ 1 ]
- The full text of the joint communique was published. [ 7 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- What the joint communique says. The full text was published, but the available documents carry only headlines and summaries of it and give none of its contents.
- Which specific cooperation documents were signed and what they provide. The documents name only the fields (trade, space, science and technology, education) and no document titles or terms.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- China News Service published its report on Li Qiang's arrival in St Petersburg on the evening of 20 October. [ 1 ]
- CLS published its report that Li and Mishustin had co-chaired the meeting on the morning of 21 October. [ 2 ]
- Yicai published the same report, attributed to Xinhua. [ 3 ]
- On 22 October, CLS reported that the full text of the joint communique had been published. [ 7 ]
- On 22 October, China News Service published the full text of the joint communique. [ 8 ]