Xu Qiliang meets with Russian Air Force commander

Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with Viktor Bondarev, the visiting commander of the Russian Air Force, and his party in Beijing on November 14, 2012.

Xu Qiliang said that each of China and Russia is the other's principal and most important comprehensive and strategic partner of cooperation. The China-Russia comprehensive and strategic partnership of cooperation has been maintaining positive, healthy and stable development momentum under the personal care and promotion of the heads of the two countries as evidenced by high political mutual trust, increasingly expanded pragmatic cooperation in various fields and close strategic cooperation in international affairs. As an important component of the partnership, the friendly and cooperative relations between Chinese and Russian militaries are at the best-ever stage of development. The military cooperation with the Russian armed forces is one of the top priorities of China's foreign military cooperation. Under the current complex and volatile international and regional situations, the two militaries should strengthen bilateral cooperation and promote in-depth development of the China-Russia comprehensive and strategic partnership of cooperation, which is conducive to maintaining peace and stability of the region and the world at large.

Bondarev first expressed his congratulations on the successful convening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He said that the Russian side attaches great importance to military cooperation with the Chinese military, and is satisfied with the development of the relations between the two militaries and is willing to make joint efforts with the Chinese side to strengthen communication and coordination, so as to make positive contributions to deepening the pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries, especially that between the two air forces, and improving the friendly and cooperative relations between the two militaries.