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BEIJING, Feb. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

For Chinese, this Spring Festival is an occasion of "double happiness," with

the hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Adding to the festive mood is

Russian President Vladimir Putin's scheduled visit and attendance to the

opening ceremony of the grand sporting event.

Ahead of Putin's visit, China Media Group (CMG) President and Editor-in-Chief

Shen Haixiong interviewed the Russian president, welcoming him to Beijing and

asking him about sports and ties with China.

It's not the first time for Putin to accept Shen's interview. Four years ago,

they sat down for an exclusive interview at the Kremlin in Moscow, marking the

first interview the Russian president had ever given to the Chinese media at

the Kremlin.

Putin's expectation for Beijing 2022

"I firmly believe that the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing will be held to the

highest standards. I wish a successful performance and luck to all athletes,

participants in the Olympics, and bright unforgettable moments and joy to the

guests," Putin said in expressing warm wishes and high expectations for the

upcoming sporting gala during the recent interview.

Putin told Shen that he believes those excellent preparations made by

organizers for the Olympics will help the Olympic athletes show their sporting

character and demonstrate their skills and ability to achieve their goals in a

fair and uncompromising competition.

He also said that Russia has been and remains committed to the traditional

Olympic values. "Russia opposes the attempts to politicize sport or use it as a

tool of coercion, unfair competition, and discrimination."

Nearly 3,000 athletes from approximately 90 countries and regions will compete

at the Beijing 2022, which features more events and will produce more gold

medals than any previous Winter Games.

Chinese-Russian sports exchanges

As for the interaction between Russia and China in sports and physical

education, Putin said it occupies an important place in bilateral humanitarian

cooperation.

Apart from cooperation in junior hockey, Putin cited Russian and Chinese

cooperation in physical education and sports in 2022-2023, which was announced

by two leaders in December 2021, saying it will be a significant and memorable

event for the two countries.

According to Putin, the program includes about 500 various popular and youth

sports events, as well as educational, sports science and staff training

activities.

Developing bilateral ties on equal, non-ideological basis

Shen noted that China and Russia viewed each other as friendly nations from the

start, then advanced to a constructive partnership, strategic partnership,

comprehensive partnership, and strategic interaction. In June 2019, relations

were upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a

new era. Last June, the two sides also agreed to extend their Treaty of

Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation for another five years.

Relations between Russia and China are developing on an equal, non-ideological

basis, Putin stressed, adding that the "partnership is sustainable,

intrinsically valuable, not affected by the political climate, and not aimed

against anyone."

China remains firmly top of the list of Russia's trade partners, the president

said, citing preliminary data that bilateral trade reached a historical high,

totaling $140 billion last year amid the pandemic.

The meetings of the two leaders played a key role in enhancing bilateral

cooperation, Putin said.

Nearly three years after Putin's last visit to China, the upcoming trip will

witness the 38th meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Russian

president since 2013.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-02-03/Putin-believes-Beijing-to-host-Winter-Olympics-of-highest-standards-17lnQsbhtCM/index.html

SOURCE  CGTN