China, Russia should further conserve unique value of bilateral relations: Xi

China and Russia should continue to conserve the unique value of their bilateral ties, Chinese President Xi Jinping said while meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Astana on Wednesday.

The two leaders met in the Kazakh capital ahead of the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is set to be held on Thursday.

Calling the Russian president an old friend, Xi expressed his pleasure to meet with Putin once again.

"Meeting on important multilateral occasions is our fine tradition, and also a symbol of high-level China-Russia relations," he said.

Xi recalled Putin's two-day state visit to China back in May, during which the two leaders charted the course forward for the China-Russia ties.

"On the important historical juncture of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, we jointly made important plans and arrangements for the further development of bilateral relations," he said.

"In the face of the international situation and external environment fraught with turbulence and changes, both sides should continue to adhere to the original aspiration of our lasting friendship and the unwavering resolve to benefit our two peoples, constantly conserve the unique value of China-Russian relations and tap into the internal driving forces of bilateral cooperation, while making efforts to safeguard the legitimate interests of the two countries and uphold the basic norms governing international relations," said Xi.

Putin hailed the current level of relations between Russia and China as the highest in history.

"We have, more than once, pointed out that the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era is in the best period in history. The relationship between Russia and China is built on the principle of equality, mutual benefit and respect for each other's sovereignty. Our cooperation does not target any third party, nor have we formed any bloc or alliance. We act on the commitment of serving the interests of our two peoples," Putin said.

China, Russia should further conserve unique value of bilateral relations: Xi

China, Russia should further conserve unique value of bilateral relations: Xi

China, Russia should further conserve unique value of bilateral relations: Xi

China, Russia should further conserve unique value of bilateral relations: Xi

China, Russia should further conserve unique value of bilateral relations: Xi

China, Russia should further conserve unique value of bilateral relations: Xi

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has transmitted over 800 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity to other parts of the country since 2010, according to the State Grid.

By the end of Friday, the region has transmitted 801.4 billion kWh of electricity to other parts of China, with nearly 30 percent of the power mainly generated by new-energy sources.

Xinjiang is rich in energy resources, including wind and solar power, and boasts excess power-generation capacity. Making use of power-transmission channels built in recent years, the region now transmits electricity to 20 regions across China.

Xinjiang's electricity transmission tops 800 bln kWh