"Thanks to the personal promotion of the strategic leadership of (Chinese) President Xi Jinping and (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin, the China-Russia relationships of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction stay at the highest level in the new epoch," he said, TASS reported.
As the Chinese defense official pointed out, "Both sides always support each other on the issues related to the vital interests and key concerns of the parties and closely interact in international and regional affairs."
"A model of strategic trust between powers and a model of mutually beneficial cooperation between neighbors have been established," he stressed.
Zhang Youxia said that this time he was leading the Chinese delegation precisely for the purpose of implementing all the accords reached between the leaders of Russia and China and "promoting practical cooperation in the military sphere and contributing to further strengthening of inter-army relationships."