President Xi Jinping on Thursday said Beijing is willing to work with Moscow as “great powers” during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan.

Xi, who is on his first trip outside China since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, met Putin in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand, where a summit of The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is being held.

"China is willing to make efforts with Russia to assume the role of great powers, and play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into a world rocked by social turmoil," Xi told Putin during an SCO leaders' summit.

"Recently, we have been overcoming the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, spoken many times via phone, and kept up effective strategic communications," Xi said.

"We are extremely willing to use this meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to exchange views with you on international and regional issues of common concern," he said.

Putin, for his part, told Xi that Moscow intends "to firmly adhere to the principle of One China".

He stressed that Russia "condemns provocations by the United States and their satellites in the Taiwan Strait", a possible reference to US Navy warships sailing through the Taiwan Strait on August 27.

Putin added: "We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis. We understand your questions and concern about this."

Xi arrived in Uzbekistan on Wednesday and has held talks with regional leaders including his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rahmon, the president of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The SCO is made up of China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2022-09-15 HKT 20:35