On the evening of May 31, local time, on the eve of attending the Qingdao Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and paying a state visit to China, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation received a speech from Shen Haixiong, director of China Central Radio and Television, at the Kremlin in Moscow.Exclusive interview.
In the interview, which lasted about 40 minutes, Putin described his impression of President Xi, answered the similarities between the Russian dream and the Chinese dream he raised in his State of the Union address, and looked forward to Sino-Russian relations and the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.The prospect of the future, and answers on international hotspots such as the construction of the Belt and Road, the Korean Peninsula issue, and the relationship between Russia and Western countries.
This is Putin's first exclusive interview with foreign media after taking office as the new president, and it is also the first time that President Putin has an exclusive interview with Chinese media in the Kremlin.
In addition, Putin also answered questions raised by many CCTV news netizens with great interest - who can win the World Cup?Who is your favorite football player?How long do you exercise every day?What career would you have if you hadn't been in politics?
The questions and answers are very exciting, I strongly recommend darr;
Shen Haixiong: How does it feel to deliver the inaugural speech for the fourth time, and how is it different from the previous few times?
Putin:
-Our top priority is to promote the country's sustainable development, ensure economic growth, develop an innovative economy, develop infrastructure, health care, education, and of course security.
-As a country that adheres to the principles of international law and respects the interests of our partners, we will naturally also ensure our own interests, and we will focus on our status on the international stage.
--We place great value on our cooperation with traditionally reliable partners, allies, and friends, including, undoubtedly, the People's Republic of China.
Shen Haixiong: What is the similarity between the Russian Dream and the Chinese Dream you proposed in your State of the Union address?
Putin:
It is no accident that China and Russia have very deep historical ties and roots.We are bound together by a lot of common ground about how we build our countries, how we treat our people, and that's really important.
——If we borrow the speech of Chairman Mao at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, what is the most important thing?Improve people's lives.In Russia, we cannot have a second goal other than raising the standard of living of our citizens.
- We are also thinking about how to build Russia-China relations, how to achieve these goals and ensure external security, and strengthen the construction of a new type of economy with modern innovation, digital economy, genetic technology, modern harmonious society and state, and economic governance as the starting point.So we have a lot in common.
Shen Haixiong: In the past year, you have met with Chairman Xi Jinping five times. Can you talk about your impression of Chairman Xi?
Putin:
—Maybe President Xi is the only national leader who celebrates my birthday with me.I have not yet established such a relationship or made a similar arrangement with a foreign colleague, but I did with President Xi.To tell you the truth, we drank a glass of vodka and cut some sausages... I want to comment on Chairman Xi, so I want to start with this matter.
——Chairman Xi is approachable and sincere.But at the same time he is also a very reliable partner.What is certain is that if I consult with President Xi about something, I do it from my side, and I know he does, and we always work towards fulfilling our respective obligations.
--President Xi, like the leaders of many other countries, strives to maximize the results of his work and seek the well-being of his own people.
--President Xi is an excellent person who likes to analyze problems, and it is very interesting to discuss international issues and economic issues with him.Therefore, he is a suitable partner and a reliable good friend for me.
Shen Haixiong: In the case of the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, how to make the Shanghai Cooperation Organization more actionable?
Putin:
In addition to resolving border issues in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, we can achieve broader and greater achievements together.
- Of course, we are not trying to confront other countries, but to ensure comprehensive and multi-faceted cooperation between our countries and other countries, and to provide necessary conditions for cooperation.No matter where these countries are located, on any continent.Uniting the powerful forces of these countries will undoubtedly become an important factor in our own development.
Shen Haixiong: The seafood and beer in Qingdao, China are both good. Will you try it?
Putin:
- Yes, very happy to taste.I like seafood and beer, but I try to drink as little as possible.I would love to try it and definitely will.
Shen Haixiong: This year is the fifth year since the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward. The Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China once said that he proposed the Belt and Road Initiative to practice the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.How do you understand this idea of global well-being?
Putin:
- This is a useful, important and promising initiative.This initiative dovetails with our efforts to build the Eurasian Economic Union.
--The President's initiative is more global, with the aim of promoting cooperative development with all countries and continents.On the other hand, we have made some proposals on overall Eurasian economic cooperation.The combination of the two can lead to good results.
- We also have very good cooperation plans in terms of industrial cooperation and railway infrastructure construction.These are very large and very promising cooperation directions.
Shen Haixiong: I am particularly impressed by the areas of people's livelihood and the digital economy in your newly released policy agenda.What in-depth cooperation can China and Russia carry out in these areas?
Putin:
- We will not forget the traditional areas of our cooperation, and we will work together with our Chinese friends in important areas of development today and in the future.
-- China has already achieved remarkable results, such as the Internet of Things and e-commerce.However, this is not enough for near-term developments, including China and Russia.We need to develop digital technology and industry, develop infrastructure, energy, including electricity, alternative energy.
Shen Haixiong: What is the next step for the relationship between Russia and the West?
Putin:
- We are not surprised by the current restrictions and sanctions, nor will they scare us, and will never make us give up our independent and sovereign development path.
-- Reason will win in the end, and all illegal restrictions and policies that harm the development of the world economy will gradually dissolve.And we will normalize relations with all our partners, including the United States and those countries that are under the orders of the United States and impose sanctions on us.
- Those countries that followed the actions of the United States also began to suffer the losses caused by the United States' actions against them.I say this not to gloat or to sarcasm, but it shows that these tactics cannot be omnipotent and that sooner or later it hurts everyone, including the promoters.At the end of the day, I want our relations with the West to be normalized somehow.
Shen Haixiong: For example, the Korean Peninsula and Syria, although the situation is still unclear, there have been some positive changes.What role does Russia want to play in resolving international disputes?What is the relationship between the two great powers of China and Russia?What kind of co-working space?
Putin:
-- Regarding the North Korean issue, the positions of China and Russia are completely consistent.We proposed a road map for solving the Korean Peninsula issue.Recently, the People's Republic of China has done a lot to ease the situation in the region.We fully support this.
--North Korea's leadership, to be honest, is also unexpected to me, and has made an unprecedented effort to defuse tension in the region.
—North Korea demands guarantees. It is still hard to say what these guarantees are and how long they will be implemented.But what can and should be said is that we are going down the path of de-escalation and ultimately denuclearization.
In any case, I hope that the wise and mature decision made by President Trump of the United States, that is, the decision to establish direct contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will be implemented and the two sides will meet, and we also look forward to a positive outcome from the meeting.
Shen Haixiong: Our China Radio International is hosting Who Is Putin's Fan?As many as 10 million Chinese netizens participated in the event within a week.CCTV News New Media of CCTV has also collected more than 40,000 netizens to ask you questions.Now I would like to pick some of the questions to ask you.
Putin: Excuse me.
Shen Haixiong: As the host of the 21st FIFA World Cup, what kind of results do you hope the Russian team can achieve?
Putin:
- As the host country, the most important and main goal is to do everything possible to host this World Cup well and make it a grand festival for millions of fans all over the world.This will be our most important achievement.
-Unfortunately, the Russian team has indeed not achieved outstanding results in recent years.However, we look forward to the fact that the Russian team can do their best and fight to the end.
Shen Haixiong: Which team can win this World Cup?
Putin:
--dash;mdash;hard to say.There are many countries that are likely to be champions, Latin American teams Argentina and Brazil.We know that in the last World Cup, the German team played well and showed the style of football.Spain and other teams are possible.
Shen Haixiong: Will you kick off the World Cup?
Putin:
--dash;mdash;I'll see.As the head of state of the host country of the World Cup, I will attend the opening and closing ceremonies.I'll take a look at my work schedule and see some other shows if possible.
Shen Haixiong: Who is your favorite football player?
Putin:
- I like Lev middot; Yashin the most among Russian and Soviet players, Pele is my favorite foreign player, and I also admire Maradona.
Shen Haixiong: What sports are you still engaged in?How long do you exercise every day?
Putin:
——I will exercise for two to two and a half hours every day, do equipment, swim, and practice judo on tatami if I have a partner.Not very often, but once in a while I play a game of hockey.It's hard to say I can play ice hockey right now, but I'm trying.
Shen Haixiong: I often see you on the news, flying fighter planes and diving submarines. Chinese netizens call you a super Internet celebrity who was delayed by the president.If you hadn't chosen politics, what career would you have?
Putin:
——I worked in the intelligence service of the Soviet Union, the foreign intelligence service of the Soviet Union.And now I have my career.Because I graduated from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, in principle, I can be a legal consultant or a lawyer.
Shen Haixiong: In 2016, when you attended the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, you brought a box of Russian ice cream, which became popular in China.What special gift do you plan to bring to China this year?
Putin:
- What kind of surprise would it be if I publicly disclosed in advance what gift I was going to give to Chairman Xi?Let it be a secret between us for now.I will tell you quietly in a while.
At the end of the interview, Shen Haixiong presented Longjing tea from his hometown Hangzhou to President Putin, and wished Putin success and success in his new role!I wish you a smooth trip to China!I wish the Russia World Cup a complete success!
President Putin expressed his gratitude and gave Shen Haixiong a picture album Moscow in return, and signed on the title page.
