Putin stressed, in an interview with the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, that the "friendly and strategic relations" between the two countries remain "unwavering despite the political situation", in a context of increasing sanctions against Moscow due to the war in Ukraine and appeals for Beijing not to support Russia. Regarding economic relations, the Russian leader referred to the great potential of the financial ties between Russia and China, highlighting the growth of bilateral trade and the "strong immunity to external challenges and crises". The importance of "economic and cultural cooperation between the two nations" and the promotion of "prosperity and equality in the economic and cultural domains" are other aspects highlighted by the Russian President. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years, while Russia was classified as China's fourth largest trading partner in 2023. More than 90% of transactions between the two countries are carried out in their respective national currencies, stressed the Russian leader. In the context of BRICS, the bloc of emerging economies founded by the two countries, in addition to Brazil, India and South Africa, Putin valued the cooperation between Russia and China and expressed his commitment to integrating new members during his presidency of the group in 2024, to broaden the platform's representativeness. Putin also stressed the role of the bloc, together with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in international affairs. Created in 2001, the SCO, which brings together more than half of the world's population, focuses on regional security, the fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. Putin stressed the promotion of equality, transparency and reforms in the global governance system and rejected "Western attempts to impose an order based on lies and hypocrisy". Putin's visit to China, which begins on Thursday and continues the following day, follows a recent trip by Xi to Europe, amid pressure from the West for the Chinese leader to use his influence with his Russian counterpart to end the offensive in Ukraine. The spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, recalled on Monday that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and that Beijing values "very much the strategic guidance of the diplomacy of the two heads of state" in their bilateral relations. "Our two presidents agreed at the time to maintain close interactions to ensure the smooth and steady growth of bilateral relations," Wang said. Read Also: Russia claims capture of towns in northeastern and southern Ukraine (Portuguese version)