China, Russia and Mongolia agree to cement teamwork in global affairs

Leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia agreed on Thursday to further push forward their trilateral cooperation and strengthen coordination in global and regional affairs, saying that this cooperation is particularly important given the complex international situation.

They made the remark at the sixth meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

President Xi Jinping underscored the strong impetus and resilience of the cooperation among the three countries, saying that the trilateral cooperation has never stopped despite the impact of the pandemic and has made achievements worthy to be affirmed.

To further China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation, Xi said it is important to deepen political trust, step up mutual support, respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and strengthen collaboration in international and regional affairs so as to keep the trilateral cooperation in the right direction.

He also proposed the three parties upgrade cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to jointly build a platform of cooperation against risks and challenges and a platform of growth that helps unleash the potential of development.

Xi called for joint efforts to follow through on the common understanding reached on the building of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and support the neighboring regions in deepening cooperation in such areas as trade and economy, people-to-people exchanges and tourism. He stressed continuing to build high-quality platforms for the exchanges of business communities of the three countries.

The president also urged work for more outcomes in trilateral cooperation and support for the expansion of settlement in local currencies in mutual trade.

China welcomes more Russian and Mongolian financial institutions to join the RMB Cross-Border Interbank Payment System to build a strong bulwark of financial security in the region, Xi said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that trilateral cooperation among Russia, China and Mongolia has made significant progress and added value to the development of their relations with each other given the cooperation's mutually beneficial nature.

As close neighbors, the three countries should give each other understanding and support, Putin said, as well as consolidate and promote trilateral cooperation across the board.

He also stressed efforts to encourage and support entrepreneurs in the three countries to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and push for more substantial progress in cooperation in such areas as cross-border transportation and energy.

Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh said that the development of good-neighborly and friendly cooperation with China and Russia is a diplomatic priority for his country.

The Mongolian side is ready to strengthen communication with China and Russia and jointly work for progress in both bilateral and trilateral cooperation in trade, investment, environment, energy, railway, tourism and other areas, he said.

During the meeting, the three countries confirmed the extension of the Outline of the Development Plan on Establishing the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor by five years. They also officially launched the feasibility study on the upgrading and development of the central-route railway of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, and agreed to actively move forward the project on the Mongolian section of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline.

The trilateral meeting mechanism was established in 2014 based on the leaders' consensus and the first meeting was held in September of that year in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.