ISTANBUL

Lauding bilateral relations with Russia, China’s President Xi Jinping on Monday called for pursuing “equal-footed, rational and results-oriented dialogue and consultation” to end the war in Ukraine.

“There is no simple solution to a complex issue,” Xi wrote, talking about the Russia-Ukraine war which began in February last year, in an article published by daily Russian Gazette. The English version of the article was released by Chinese-state run Xinhua.

“We believe that as long as all parties embrace the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and pursue equal-footed, rational and results-oriented dialogue and consultation, they will find a reasonable way to resolve the crisis as well as a broad path toward a world of lasting peace and common security,” said the Chinese president who will undertake a three-day official trip to Moscow from Monday.

This visit will be Xi’s first overseas trip after he was re-elected as president for a third term.

Since Xi's first visit to Russia in 2013, bilateral trade between the two countries has swelled from around $90 billion to $190 billion.

On relations with Russia, Xi said: “There is a clear historical logic and strong internal driving force for the growth of China-Russia relations. Over the past 10 years, we have come a long way in our wide-ranging cooperation and made significant strides into the new era.”

“China and Russia are each other’s biggest neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of coordination. We are both major countries in the world and permanent members of the UN Security Council. Both countries uphold an independent foreign policy and see our relationship as a high priority in our diplomacy,” said Xi.

He further described his trip to Moscow "a journey of friendship, cooperation and peace."

​​​​​​​"I look forward to working with President Putin to jointly adopt a new vision, a new blueprint and new measures for the growth of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination," he said.