Russia’s key ally China on Monday congratulated President Vladimir Putin on his remarkable election victory.
“China expresses its congratulations on this,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said when asked about the vote at a regular press conference.
“China and Russia are each other’s largest neighbors and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners in the new era,” he added.
President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on power in a victory he said showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine.
Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to power in 1999, made it clear that the result should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether in war or peace, for many more years to come.
The outcome means Putin, 71, is set to embark on a new six-year term that will see him overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia’s longest-serving leader for more than 200 years if he completes it.
It is a record victory in a presidential election where he faced no genuine competition.
“We firmly believe that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia relations will continue to move forward,” Lin said, noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries.
“The two heads of state will continue to maintain close exchanges, lead the two countries to continue to uphold longstanding good-unneighborly friendship, deepen comprehensive strategic coordination, and promote the continuous development of China-Russia relations in the new era,” Lin said.
