Putin meets Chinese Premier Li Qiang in St Petersburg, cites 34% rise in farm trade

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese State Council Premier Li Qiang at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St Petersburg on 21 October. TASS and RIA Novosti posted their reports at 15:29 and 15:30, and RBC reported at 15:34 that the talks had begun. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 10 , 11 ]

In remarks open to the press, Putin said, according to Interfax, that the two countries' relations "do not depend on the international situation and are not directed against anyone." He listed cooperation in energy, information technology, space and peaceful nuclear energy, and said agricultural turnover had grown 34% over eight months of the year. He added that key new agreements on developing the relations had been reached at the highest level, with the main efforts to carry them out made through the governments. [ 6 , 11 ]

Putin asked Li Qiang to pass his best wishes to Xi Jinping, whom he called his friend. He said they had met three times this year and might meet again at the APEC summit in November. Kommersant places that summit in Shenzhen. Li Qiang said that amid a complex international situation there was "rampant unilateralism and hegemony." He described close Chinese-Russian ties as a "very precious stabilizing factor" and said China was ready to deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation. [ 6 , 9 , 11 ]

The Russian side included Deputy Prime Ministers Alexander Novak and Dmitry Chernyshenko, Presidential Administration deputy head Maxim Oreshkin and Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov. Vedomosti, citing RIA Novosti, also named Valery Falkov, head of the Minobrnauki ministry, Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko and Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Sazanov. It listed the Chinese delegation as State Council member Wu Zhenglong, Zheng Shanjie, Huai Jinpeng, Wang Wentao, Shen Danyang, Ma Zhaoxu and Ambassador Zhang Hanhui. [ 6 , 10 , 11 ]

Earlier on 21 October Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin held the 31st regular meeting of the Russian and Chinese heads of government with Li Qiang. Vedomosti reported that they discussed trade, economic and cultural cooperation and joint projects in energy, industry, agriculture and transport infrastructure, and signed a joint communique. RIA Novosti said Li Qiang had arrived in St Petersburg on Tuesday, and quoted Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the president would meet him during the day. Kommersant wrote that Li Qiang last met Putin in May, during the Russian president's official visit to China. [ 1 , 2 , 10 , 11 ]

Meduza noted that Putin met US special envoy Steve Witkoff earlier on 21 October, and that they discussed options for ending the Russia-Ukraine war. [ 9 ]