Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, declared that China is not a competitor to Russia in Africa, emphasizing that Moscow and Beijing complement each other in the continent’s nations.
In a press conference during her visit to Beijing, Matviyenko confidently stated, “I confirm with absolute certainty that China is not a competitor to Russia. On the contrary, Russia and China complement each other in Africa, in countries where there is a demand for our presence.”
She pointed out that Africa currently is among the strongly developing regions “which have immense potentials, but these potentials are not exploited.” She asserted that “it is impossible to build a multipolar world without considering Africa’s interests and participation.”
A Russian parliamentary delegation, led by Matviyenko, arrived in China upon the invitation of Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the highest legislative body in China.
