FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

Putin’s Federal Assembly Address Highlights Russia’s Cooperation with China on Belt and Road

Feb. 21, 2019 (EIRNS)—During his 90-minute Address to the Federal Assembly on Feb. 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of boosting relations with China and greater involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative. Under Putin’s plan, Russia will step up government spending and investment in areas such as artificial intelligence and big data, and strengthen external relations of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) by linking with the Chinese Belt and Road initiative, People’s Daily reported today.

President Putin will become a key guest and participant of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in April 2019 in Beijing, Russia’s Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov said last December. “We believe that a major event of the first half of 2019 will be the coordinated visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China, who will take part in the second summit of the Belt and Road Forum,” Denisov said, TASS reported.

During China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia last July, Xi had said that Russia is an important partner in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and had urged the two countries to carry out the Northern Sea Route cooperation so as to realize an “Ice Silk Road,” reported Xinhua.