Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that under the strategic leadership he exercises jointly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and through joint efforts of both sides, the foundations of China-Russia relations will become increasingly solid, their development increasingly stable, and their future increasingly promising. President Xi Jinping met with President Putin on the sidelines of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 31, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) BISHKEK, August 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that under the strategic leadership he exercises jointly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and through joint efforts of both sides, the foundations of China-Russia relations will become increasingly solid, their development increasingly stable, and their future increasingly promising. Xi made these remarks during a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Xi recalled that during Putin's successful state visit to China in May, Putin and he had made arrangements to guide bilateral relations toward high-quality and high-level development from a strategic and long-term perspective. Furthermore, they had reached consensus on deepening cooperation between China and Russia in various sectors under new circumstances. The competent authorities of both countries are actively working to implement this consensus, with significant results already achieved, said the Chinese president, noting that exchanges and cooperation between the two sides have maintained strong momentum. The international landscape is experiencing a notable increase in factors of uncertainty and unpredictability, against the backdrop of accelerating profound changes unprecedented in a century, Xi said. However, the world's peoples' shared pursuit of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit remains unchanged, he added. The SCO bears the important responsibility of defending regional stability and promoting regional development, he continued. Xi emphasized that China was willing to work with Russia and other parties to jointly chart the course of SCO development, contribute to ensuring its steady and sustainable progress, and strengthen momentum for global governance reform and the promotion of an equal and orderly multipolar world. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 31, 2026. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) Against a complex international backdrop plagued by turmoil, Russia and China are constantly deepening their comprehensive strategic coordination, upholding equality, mutual trust and reciprocal support, and cooperation and development have rapidly advanced in various fields, making Russia-China relations a model of relations between countries, Putin said. Russia is ready to maintain high-level exchanges with China, strengthen their cooperation in sectors such as trade, energy, industry, transport, science and technology, develop cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and promote bilateral relations to achieve new results, he said. Through the joint efforts of all parties, the SCO has evolved into a dynamic and effective regional cooperation platform with considerable international influence, Putin noted. According to him, Russia and China must constantly strengthen their solidarity and cooperation within the organization and play a guiding role. Russia is willing to strengthen its coordination and cooperation with China within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the BRICS mechanism and the G20, support China in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, and jointly defend world peace, stability and prosperity, he added. The two heads of state also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest. In partnership with Xinhua