Xi calls on China, Russia to resist attempts to sow discord in friendship

MOSCOW -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on China and Russia to jointly resist any attempts to sow discord in the friendship and mutual trust between the two sides.

Xi made the remarks in a signed article published Wednesday by the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his arrival in Russia for a state visit and attendance at the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.

China and Russia are major countries with significant influence, as well as constructive forces for maintaining global strategic stability and improving global governance, Xi said.

The China-Russia relationship, he said, has a clear historical logic, a powerful internal driver and profound cultural heritage.

The bilateral relationship is neither directed at any third party nor affected by any third party, he added.

He also cautioned that the two countries should not be distracted by fleeting clouds, or disturbed by high winds and rough waves of events.

Xi urged the two sides to jointly promote the process of world multi-polarization and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind with the certainty and resilience of China-Russia strategic coordination.