Ahead of his visit to People’s Republic
of China, the President of Russia answered questions from
President of China Media Group Shen Haixiong.
June 6, 2018
07:00
Moscow
Ahead of his visit to People’s Republic
of China, the President of Russia answered questions from
President of China Media Group Shen Haixiong.
President of China Media Group Shen Haixiong: Mr
President, thank you very much for accepting China Media Group’s request
for this interview. On May 7, you were inaugurated
as President of Russia. We broadcasted the ceremony online.
I watched the entire broadcast, about 45 minutes, and was deeply
moved. Please tell me how is your fourth speech different from the previous
ones? What were your feelings?
Vladimir Putin: First of all, I would
like to thank you for your interest in Russia
and for your decision to meet here today. I would like
to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to the Chinese
people. We know that we have many friends in China. And the fact
that you watched the inauguration online shows that the ceremony,
and Russia in general, are of interest to the Chinese.
I would like to wish the Chinese people all the best,
happiness and prosperity for every Chinese family.
Speaking about the new term as President
of the Russian Federation, if you were watching the ceremony,
you probably heard what I was talking about. Russia’s continued
progressive development as well as ensuring economic growth,
introducing more innovations, developing infrastructure, healthcare
and education and, of course, providing security are all our
priorities, and when I say “our,” I refer to myself
and my team.
We will focus on positioning Russia
on the global stage as a country that adheres
to the principles of international law, respects its partners’
interests and, of course, will protect its own interests.
In this sense, I would like to say that
we pay great attention to cooperating with our traditional
and reliable partners, allies and friends. The People’s Republic
of China is, of course, among them.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
I noted that, starting wi your Address to the Federal Assembly, you often mention the Russian dream. As you may know, the Chinese people are also trying to realise the Chinese dream introduced by President Xi Jinping. In what aspects, in your opinion, are these dreams similar and different?
I noted that, starting wi your Address to the Federal Assembly, you often mention the Russian dream. As you may know, the Chinese people are also trying to realise the Chinese dream introduced by President Xi Jinping. In what aspects, in your opinion, are these dreams similar and different?
Vladimir Putin: Russia and China are
neighbours. We have been interacting for centuries, and our
historical ties and roots go very deep. It is not by chance that
in recent decades, as neighbours, we have built a relationship
that probably cannot be compared with anything in the world. It is
truly built on consideration of each other’s interests.
Look, in 2001, we signed the Treaty
of Friendship and Neighborliness, but this treaty is only
the foundation we have built our current relationship on. With every year
passing, we add new paint and new floors to that building; it is
growing taller and stronger. This is no accident: it means that we have
many things in common, including our approaches to building our
states and to our people, and this is very important.
Take what President Xi Jinping said
at the latest party congress. What lies at the foundation
of everything he said? The aspiration to improve people’s lives.
This goal may be achieved by different means, but it is the same
for us; Russia cannot have any other goal but improving its citizens’
lives. It informs the way we think about how to build Russian-Chinese
relations to achieve these goals, to ensure our external security
and work together to create a new kind of economy based
on the latest innovations, the digital economy, advances
in genetics and the best ways to manage society,
the state and the economy itself. So we have many things
in common. And I believe that we will succeed if we join our
efforts.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you very much.
Last year you met with the leaders of China
more than with those of any other country. You met with Xi Jinping five
times. You also awarded President Xi Jinping the Order of St Andrew,
the highest award in Russia. Please share your impressions of your
interactions with President Xi Jinping.
Vladimir Putin: You know, I cannot share
some things, as these are personal observations and a personal
relationship. But President Xi Jinping is probably the only world leader
I have celebrated one of my birthdays with. Either because
I did not have that kind of relationship or because schedules
would not permit it, I had never celebrated a birthday with any
of my foreign colleagues before. But I did with President Xi
Jinping. And then (I already spoke about it publicly, there is no
secret here), it was a very simple event. I will be frank, I do
not know, he probably will not be angry with me if I share that we drank
a shot of vodka and just cut up some sausage. We just did it
at the end of a workday. But I want to start with
this, if we are talking about personal characteristics.
He is a very accessible and sincere person.
But at the same time, he is a very reliable partner. I can
be sure that if I reach an agreement with President Xi Jinping, we
will both always strive to meet our obligations. This is the first
thing.
Second. Like many leaders of other
countries – this, I think, unites all of us – in his
work, he strives for the best result for the benefit
of every person in his own country.
He is a good analyst and it is interesting
to discuss world problems and economic issues with him. Therefore, he
is a very comfortable partner for me and a good
and reliable friend.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you. I share your
sentiments.
In several days you will leave
for the Chinese city of Qingdao to take part in the SCO
summit. You will also pay an official visit to China. What do you
think can be done to make the organisation’s work more effective
and positive following its expansion?
Vladimir Putin: The SCO was initially
established as a relatively modest organisation to deal with
issues between Russia, China and a number of former Soviet
republics.
Let me repeat, our goals were relatively modest, but
in the process of gradually addressing them we realised that we
have many things in common, in the sense that we can achieve
more significant results than simply frontier matters. And the SCO
began to develop. After India and Pakistan were admitted
to the SCO, it became clear that comprehensive work should begin,
begin in China, and also that the SCO has become a global
organisation.
This is an obvious fact, because our countries
account for a quarter of the global GDP, 43 percent
of the world’s population and 23 percent
of the planet’s total area. The resources are immense. Considering
the growth dynamics in Asia, in China and India, we will
try to give a boost to Russia’s economy and support
the dynamics we need.
All of this, together with our military
capabilities, constitutes a huge force that we, of course, will not
use for confrontation but for establishing the necessary
conditions for multifaceted cooperation between our countries
and with other countries as well, wherever they are
on the globe.
Of course, joint efforts of such
a powerful group will be an important factor for our own
development, and will also influence the international situation.
I am confident that this influence will be positive.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
Qingdao is a beautiful coastal city famous
for its seafood and beer. Do you plan to try it?
Vladimir Putin: Yes, I would like to.
I like both seafood and beer, although I try not to drink
often, but I would like to taste it and will gladly do so.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
This year, the Belt and Road Initiative
marks its fifth anniversary. President Xi Jinping said that this initiative
aims to build a community of humanity’s common destiny. What do
you think about this concept?
Vladimir Putin: We have always supported this
idea. President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative has both
economic and humanitarian elements. First of all, we are speaking
about the economy and the infrastructure. We believe this is
a useful, important and promising initiative. It meets our efforts
to build the Eurasian Economic Union.
In addition, recently, on May 17,
the Eurasian Economic Union and China signed an agreement
on economic cooperation. For now, it does not concern lowering
tariffs, but other very important issues, such as trade policy, technical
regulations and phytosanitary control. In fact, we are making
a very important step towards removing the barriers to economic
cooperation.
Still, President Xi Jinping’s idea, as we see it,
is more global: it aims to develop cooperation with all countries
and continents. We have a general idea of Eurasian economic
cooperation. I think that all of this adds up and may have
a positive outcome. Speaking about the idea’s infrastructure element,
let me say that we know about our Chinese partners’ interest in working
along the Northern Sea Route.
We welcome it. However, this is not the only
area; we have good plans for industrial cooperation and railway
infrastructure development as well. These are all powerful
and promising areas that will for sure become the foundation
of our cooperation.
Today China is Russia’s number one trade partner. Last
year, trade reached $87 billion, and this year, the growth
in the first four months was the same as during all
of last year. This is a very good pace that we must keep up
and even increase.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
In the published May Executive Orders, great
attention is paid to improving living standards
and the development of the digital economy. What else can
Russia and China do to deepen cooperation in these areas
in your opinion?
Vladimir Putin: This is one of the key
areas. We know how much attention both President Xi Jinping
and the Government of the People's Republic of China
pay to the development of modern forms of management
and to such promising areas as the digital economy. We
believe that this, of course, is closely related to such important
areas of the future technological order as robotics
and artificial intelligence.
In the modern world, all major discoveries,
the most promising discoveries are made at the intersection
of sciences. This includes biology, genetics, and other areas that,
of course, will make those who succeed in them leaders of world
development. And we, not forgetting about our traditional spheres
of cooperation, will, of course, strive to join our efforts with
our Chinese friends in these key areas of today and especially
tomorrow.
We have relevant ideas, plans and some
developments of our own. We know that China already has had significant
achievements. For example, in the field
of the internet of things and digital commerce. However,
this will not be enough for successful development in the short
term for both China and Russia. We need to develop digital
technologies in industry, in infrastructure, in energy,
including in the electric power industry,
and in alternative types of energy. There we can and need
to introduce the latest developments, the latest achievements.
If we do this, we will be absolute leaders. We will strive for this.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
Despite the fact that everyone is striving
for equitable dialogue and cooperation, you now face acute
challenges. I mean the sanctions of the Western countries
targeting the Russian economy and other pressure. Where will
Russian-US relations and Russia's relations with Western countries go from
here, in your view?
Vladimir Putin: I look forward to good,
positive relations. We are not surprised by any restrictions
or sanctions; this does not frighten us and will never force us
to abandon our independent, sovereign path of development.
I believe that either Russia will be sovereign,
or it will not exist at all. And, of course, the Russian
people will always choose the first. I think the Chinese people
feel the same. There is no other way for us. But we understand that
our partners are trying to limit our development by imposing these
restrictions and sanctions.
I have no doubt that this, as lawyers say,
is an exercise in futility, and nothing will come of it.
This policy primarily hurts those who initiated it. However, I believe
that common sense will still prevail, that all illegal restrictions that are
harmful to the development of the world economy will be
gradually removed, and we will normalise our relations with all partners,
including the United States, and other countries that did their
bidding and also imposed these sanctions.
By the way, those who, as I said,
did the US’s bidding, are beginning to suffer from what
the United States is starting to impose on these countries
themselves. All this taken together gradually – and I am not
gloating or being sarcastic – but it all speaks to the fact
that these means cannot be universal, and sooner or later it will
become obvious that their use harms everyone, including the initiators
of these initiatives. In the end, I hope that our relations
will normalise one way or another.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
Since the beginning of this year, some
positive changes have occurred in some hotbeds such
as the Korean Peninsula and Syria. However, the situation
remains unclear. What do you think about Russia’s role in resolving these crises
and where can Russia and China cooperate on this?
Vladimir Putin: Speaking about the Korean
peninsula, our approaches, as diplomats say, are the same
or similar. Probably the first. We were the initiators
of a roadmap for the settlement process on the Korean
Peninsula. Recently, China has done a lot to defuse
the situation somewhat. We are very happy to see this and will
provide any support we can.
As you know, the Russian Foreign Minister is
in North Korea now having talks with its leaders, including
on a settlement process.
We can also see that the North Korean leaders
have taken unexpected, even for me – I would even say
unprecedented – steps to de-escalate the situation. First, they
announced that they would stop nuclear testing. In addition, they have
already destroyed one of their largest nuclear test sites. Of course,
these are all practical steps towards denuclearisation, which is our common
final goal.
I can understand the North Korean leadership
when they talk about the security guarantees they need for total
denuclearisation. How else could it be? There is no other way imaginable,
especially after what happened in Libya and Iraq. The North
Koreans have not forgotten. So of course, they would demand guarantees.
Today it is difficult to say what these guarantees may look like
or when they will come into effect. However, we can, and should, move
towards this goal: to de-escalate tensions and, ultimately,
to denuclearise.
It is a pity that our Western partners,
the United States and, unfortunately, South Korea have not stopped their
military exercises and maneuvers that do nothing to aid
de-escalation. But I still hope that this meeting – a very brave
and mature decision US President Donald Trump has made, to have
direct contacts with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – will take place,
and we all expect a positive outcome. The roadmap I have
mentioned, the Russian-Chinese roadmap, has points
on the settlement process in North Korea, the next phase of which
is promoting relations between all the counties responsible for this
de-escalation.
The next phase is multifaceted cooperation among
all stakeholders, first of all, to draft these security guarantees.
And, of course, Russia has always proposed this, and it remains
on the table: a trilateral economic project between Russia
and the northern and southern parts of the Korean
Peninsula. Primarily, these would be infrastructure projects, such
as railway construction (actually, China could join them) between Russia,
North Korea and South Korea. We are talking about pipelines. We can also
think about building other energy facilities. There are many opportunities
for joint work both in a three-party and four-party format:
we only have to move towards them. We will all be eagerly awaiting
the outcome of the meeting between US President Donald Trump
and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and will support it
in any way we can.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
I have just mentioned our corporation's online
projects, such as “Who’s a Fan of Vladimir Putin?” So
I have several questions we received from our users. Over 40 million users
took part in these events. Now I would like, on behalf
of our users, to ask you four questions.
Vladimir Putin: Please do.
Shen Haixiong: The first one. Russia is
the host of this year's football World Cup. What kind of results
do you think the Russian national team can achieve?
Vladimir Putin: The person who asked this
question mentioned that Russia is the host of this tournament. So our
main and essential goal, as the host country, is to provide
good organisation of the World Cup and make it a real
festival for millions of football fans all around the world.
This will be our main achievement.
As regards the national team, I have
to acknowledge that, sadly, our team has not enjoyed great results lately.
But we, all the fans and football lovers in Russia, have high
hopes that our team will make a good showing, play a modern,
interesting and beautiful style of football, and fight
to the finish.
Shen Haixiong: Which team do you think will win?
Vladimir Putin: This is a tough question. There
are many contenders. There are Latin American teams – Argentina
and Brazil. At previous World Cups, the German team has
performed brilliantly, and the Spanish team has played a beautiful
brand of football too. There will certainly be other contenders, but only
the best will win.
Shen Haixiong: Will you watch the World Cup
matches?
Vladimir Putin: Yes, I will. Also,
as the President of the host country, I will be
attending the opening and closing ceremonies. I will check
my schedule. I will attend more matches if I can.
Shen Haixiong: Who is your favourite footballer?
Vladimir Putin: There are footballers whom
I consider outstanding and whom I can definitely call
my favourite. Lev Yashin among Russian and Soviet players,
and Pele among foreign ones. I also like Maradona very much.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
All our users know that you love sports. What sports
do you currently play? How much time do you spend on it a day?
Vladimir Putin: Every day I spend about
2–2.5 hours doing sports. I go to the gym, I swim,
sometimes I get out on the mat, if I have sparring
partners, and sometimes I play hockey. Not really play hockey but try
to.
Shen Haixiong: In the news, we often
see you onboard a fighter jet or a submarine. Our users consider
you a super-president. If you were not involved in politics, what
would be your profession?
Vladimir Putin: I worked
in the intelligence service of the Soviet Union,
in the foreign intelligence service of the Soviet Union.
I already have a profession. (Laughing.) But
I graduated from St Petersburg State University with a degree
in law, so I could have worked as a lawyer, but
I worked all my life in security agencies
and in foreign intelligence in the Soviet Union. Then
I worked in the executive authorities in St Petersburg.
I enjoyed each of these activities. I think that I really
could work as a lawyer.
Shen Haixiong: Thank you.
In 2016, when you participated
in the G20 summit in Hangzhou, you brought as a gift
a carton of Russian ice cream. Will you bring something this year?
Vladimir Putin: Yes. (Laughing.)
I brought it because President Xi Jinping
mentioned that he loves Russian ice cream, so I brought it for him
as a gift.
He and I exchange trifles occasionally. But
it will ruin the surprise, if I tell you in advance what
I will bring him as a gift. It will be a secret between me
and you, I will whisper it in your ear later. (Laughing.)
Shen Haixiong: Thank you very much, Mr President,
for today's interview. We wish you good luck and success in your
fourth term and in hosting the World Cup.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you!
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