TOKYO, August 13. /TASS/. Bilateral cooperation between Russia and China has reached its highest level and continues to advance steadily thanks to the consistent efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian and Chinese Ambassadors to Japan Nikolay Nozdrev and Wu Jianghao said in a joint article published by the two diplomatic missions in Tokyo.

"Thanks to the consistent efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, bilateral cooperation has reached its highest level and continues to progress steadily, demonstrating maturity and self-sufficiency," the ambassadors emphasized. They expressed confidence that Putin’s official visit to Beijing on May 19 and 20 this year, his twenty-fifth visit to China as Russian leader, "once again demonstrated the special nature of this partnership."

The diplomats emphasized that "the leaders’ shared understanding of Russian-Chinese relations stems from the fundamental principles underlying the dialogue between the two countries." "These include, above all, peaceful coexistence, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit. Both countries recognize the inalienable right of every nation to choose its own social system and path of development, as well as to preserve its cultural and historical identity and traditional moral values," Nozdrev and Wu Jianghao noted.

The Russian and Chinese diplomats stressed that "Russian-Chinese relations have withstood the test of time and external pressure," as convincingly demonstrated by three decades of strategic partnership. "Building on a solid foundation of mutual trust and support, respect, equality and economic complementarity, Moscow and Beijing are moving confidently forward, both in developing bilateral cooperation and in jointly shaping a fairer and more multipolar world order," they concluded.