Russian officials, public hail Xi's visit for promoting cooperation, connection

Russian officials and the public praised Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit, noting that it has fostered deeper cooperation and a stronger heart-to-heart connection between the two countries.

At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi arrived in Moscow on Wednesday evening for a four-day state visit and attended the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.

During his stay, Xi engaged in in-depth discussions with Putin on bilateral relations and cooperation, as well as major international and regional issues of mutual concern.

Russian officials have emphasized the significance of Xi's visit, noting that it will pave the way for deeper strategic cooperation between the two countries in the future.

"President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin is of great significance. It strengthens the all-round, multi-level, and wide-ranging cooperation that the Russian and Chinese people have developed together. The relationship between Russia and China can be considered a model of strategic cooperation between countries," said Dmitry Mezentsev, presidential plenipotentiary representative of the Russian Federation to the Constitutional Court and former secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

"First, I want to emphasize that the talks between the two heads of state yesterday was very meaningful. The friendship between the two heads of state will facilitate more effective cooperation. The cooperation between our two countries in the energy sector is progressing smoothly, with many cooperative projects being implemented according to plan. Our partnership will only continue to advance," said Sergei Tsivilev, Russia's minister of energy.

Scholars and artists in Russia were moved by Xi's attendance at the Victory Day anniversary celebrations during his visit, a gesture that reflects the deep friendship between the two countries and their strong commitment to defending the victory of World War II.

"The significance of President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia is immeasurable. Xi's visit underscores that Russia and China are united in defending historical truth. We are the countries that have made the greatest contribution to our shared victory," said Pavel Troshchinskiy, a leading researcher at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"The talks between Russian and Chinese heads of state on the eve of Victory Day -- a holiday that symbolizes our common victory and brings together our shared tears and joys -- reflects the mutual understanding between Russia and China regarding our values," said Katerina Kovanzhi, a Russian opera singer.

The Russian public also noted that Russia and China have significant prospects for cooperation in areas such as promoting global multipolarity and developing the digital economy.

"President Xi Jinping's visit is of course extremely important. It means that the relationship between the two countries has reached a level that cannot be reversed. Our two countries jointly support the process of global multi-polarization, advocate for multilateral cooperation, call for compliance with the UN Charter, and support fair solutions to global issues," said Oleg Deripaska, chairman of the Ecological Council of the China-Russia Friendship, Peace and Development Committee.

"I have noticed that the Russian government department responsible for digital development signed a cooperation agreement with its Chinese counterpart, which involves digital transformation and the development of the digital economy. China is a global leader in digital economy development, and the signing of the agreement will elevate the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries to a new level," said Vitaly Mankevich, chairman of the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

Russian officials, public hail Xi's visit for promoting cooperation, connection

Russian officials, public hail Xi's visit for promoting cooperation, connection

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.

The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.

Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.

"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.

Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.

Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.

"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.

Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight