Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin Exchange Congratulatory Messages on the 75th Anniversary of the Victory of the World Anti-Fascist War

On September 3， 2020， President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

In the congratulatory message， Xi Jinping pointed out that on the same day 75 years ago， the victories of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Soviet Unions war against Japan signified the final victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese and Russian peoples fought side by side and forged an unbreakable great friendship with blood， laying a solid foundation for the high-level development of bilateral relations.

Xi Jinping indicated， “I am ready to work with you to take the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War as an opportunity to lead China and Russia towards deeper comprehensive strategic coordination. Together with the international community， we should firmly protect the victory we achieved during World War II and international fairness and justice， actively uphold and practice multilateralism， and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind in a bid to allow future generations to enjoy a world featuring lasting peace， universal security， and common prosperity.”

In his congratulatory message， Vladimir Putin reciprocated the sentiments and said， “Our two countries and our two peoples forged a profound friendship in that arduous war. Today， this spirit of mutual assistance continues to be carried forward， promoting the vigorous development of Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. The Russian side is willing to continue to work actively with China to prevent the outbreak of wars and conflicts and maintain world stability and security.”

China and Greece Pledge to Further Promote Bilateral Ties and Cooperation

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held separate meetings with Yang Jiechi， a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee， on September 4 in Athens.

Yang， also the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee， said China and Greece are true friends sharing weal and woe and good partners for mutually beneficial cooperation.

The senior Chinese diplomat called on the two sides to continuously strengthen high-level guidance and cement strategic mutual trust， promote the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative， and jointly build the Piraeus Port into a world-class port.

China encourages Greek companies to participate in the third China International Import Expo （CIIE） and welcomes competitive Greek products to the Chinese market， Yang said， adding that the two countries should continue to hold the Ancient Civilizations Forum to promote exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations and jointly oppose the fallacy of “clash of civilizations.”

The Greek leaders said the country will continue to work hand in hand with China to fight the pandemic， expand two-way trade and investment， and advance key joint projects including the Piraeus Port.

They added that Greece is ready to host a successful Greece-China Year of Culture and Tourism in 2021， promote dialogue between civilizations， and jointly build the Belt and Road.

Wang Yi Attends the G20 Extraordinary Foreign Ministers Meeting

On the evening of September 3， State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the G20 Extraordinary Foreign Ministers Meeting from Beijing. The meeting was chaired by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia， which holds this years G20 presidency. Foreign ministers or representatives of the G20 countries as well as guest countries， joined by heads of international organizations， attended the meeting.

Wang stressed that while COVID-19 is still raging in many parts of the world， countries face the pressing task of restoring global growth， for which the flow of goods and people must be resumed as soon as possible.

To that end， Wang Yi put forward a number of proposals for G20 cooperation：

Gradual expansion of orderly peopleto-people exchanges on the basis of guaranteeing health and safety， through policy coordination and new cooperation mechanisms；

Enhancing information sharing on epidemic response， conducting pre-departure nucleic acid testing， and adopting mutual recognition of testing results and health codes；

Establishment of more green channels for transporting goods to make customs clearance more efficient and keep industrial and supply chains undisturbed. It is also important to explore the feasibility of zero-tariff treatment for crucial medical supplies.

Participants agreed that facing economic recession and restricted cross-border flow of people and goods caused by the pandemic， the G20 must lead the efforts and strengthen cooperation to overcome the fallout of the pandemic and revitalize the global economy.