World
Old Friends, New Era
President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia demonstrates the unbreakable bond between the two countries
By Ma Miaomiao  ·  2019-06-17  ·   Source: NO.25 JUNE 20, 2019

Chinese President Xi Jinping is awarded an honorary doctorate from Russia's St. Petersburg State University on June 6 (XINHUA)

The Kremlin, in the heart of Moscow, welcomed a familiar friend this summer. The magnificent centuries-old complex witnessed once again the enduring bond between China and Russia, as Chinese President Xi Jinping started his visit to the country on June 5.

This was Xi's eighth visit to Russia since 2013 when he was elected Chinese president, and came in time to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

During the three-day visit, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement on elevating China-Russia bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Along with attending events celebrating the 70th anniversary, Xi also participated in the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 7 and addressed its plenary session for the first time.

When briefing the media at the conclusion of the visit, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi remarked that Xi's trip sent a clear message to the world that the consensus on deepening mutual trust between Beijing and Moscow is unbreakable and China's belief in win-win cooperation is unshakable.

Giant panda Ru Yi eats bamboo at the Moscow Zoo in Russia on June 4 (XINHUA)

Strengthened ties

According to the joint statement on the strategic partnership, the China-Russia relationship has entered a new era, and has new opportunities for greater development.

It also pointed out that the goal of this new kind of partnership is for both sides to give more support to each other as they seek to take their own development paths, preserve respective core interests and protect sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Li Yonghui, a researcher with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Beijing Review that "the relationship upgrading was a strategic decision based on the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples and current responsibilities."

It reflected a common response to the changes in the international environment, expressed the mutual confidence and determination to seek more breakthroughs, and embodied the expectations of bilateral relations in the future, Li added.

"In this complex and fast-changing world, China and Russia have been able to make steady progress in the face of major changes and have become important promoters of stability in the process of restructuring the international strategic structure, with the main reason lying in the convergence of mutual interests," said Li.

According to Sergey Uyanaev, Deputy Director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences, as the most important political achievement of the visit, the upgrading of China-Russia ties put a new orientation and connotation on bilateral relations. "It is not a choice of expediency and won't be influenced by any external factors," Uyanaev was quoted as saying by Russia's Sputnik News Agency.

While meeting with Putin, Xi proposed that the two countries cement strategic support based on mutual trust, deepen converging interests, jointly achieve common revitalization, promote people-to-people exchanges, consolidate a foundation for lasting friendship, and shoulder more responsibility for global peace and stability.

According to the statement, the two sides will closely coordinate with each other in aligning their development strategies, widen mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and investment and further expand bilateral ties overall.

Uyanaev added that the true meaning of upgraded ties will not simply be limited to bilateral levels, but also suggest that the two sides will coordinate and support each other more in international affairs concerning both sides in the future.

Political, security and economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and international coordination will continue to be key areas for China-Russia relations in the new era, said Wei Jinshen, a researcher with Center for Russian Studies of Shanghai International Studies University. The joint statement, containing detailed and comprehensive measures for strengthening cooperation, demonstrated that bilateral ties not only possess a solid foundation, but also broader areas of cooperation, Wei claimed.

Driving forces

Against a backdrop of mounting unilateralism and trade protectionism, there are still existing uncertainties for the world economic recovery which have already impacted the basic norms governing international relations.

Thus Li explained that the ties between China and Russia have served as a model of a major-country relationship featuring the highest degree of mutual trust and the highest level of strategic coordination. They have also demonstrated the steady stream of internal driving forces that promote bilateral cooperation.

Political mutual trust has been persistently consolidated and the two sides have given each other firm support on issues concerning core interests and major concerns. Over the past six years, Xi has met Putin nearly 30 times in various bilateral and multilateral occasions.

According to Uyanaev, top-level designs and arrangements and the close personal friendship between the two leaders have played an indispensable role in promoting the stable development of bilateral ties.

Despite current sluggish international trade and investment as well as rising protectionism, the fruitful results of and huge potential for pragmatic China-Russia cooperation have injected vitality into bilateral relations. With an emphasis on economic globalization, the two countries have jointly upheld the rules of free trade and have shown obvious complementary advantages in the economic and trade fields, said Li.

In 2018, bilateral trade volume between China and Russia topped a record high of over $100 billion. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for eight consecutive years, with its share in Russia's foreign trade on the rise. The two governments also agreed to promote two-way trade to $200 billion by 2024.

At the same time, the two countries have made solid progress in major strategic projects in energy, aerospace, connectivity and other fields. Cooperation in agriculture, finance, science and technology, e-commerce and other emerging fields has grown rapidly as well, Li added.

In the past several years, China and Russia have agreed to foster stronger synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union. Early results of the integration are demonstrated through several projects such as Primorye-1 and Primorye-2 international transport corridors.

China National Petroleum Corp., a major stakeholder in the Yamal liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, received the first shipment of LNG in July 2018. The second line of the China-Russia oil pipeline is now in operation, and the east-route natural gas pipeline is expected to supply 38 billion cubic meters of gas annually to China as scheduled.

In terms of connectivity, the first cross-river railway bridge between China and Russia has been connected from both sides. With a designed annual throughput capacity of 21 million tons, the bridge, when completed, will enable Russia's Far East region to better cooperate with Chinese provinces and cities.

In addition, a pair of giant pandas, Ru Yi and Ding Ding, were handed over to Russia for a 15-year joint research program at the opening ceremony of the panda house at the Moscow Zoo attended by the two presidents on June 5. The program illustrated the growing exchanges between the two countries in such areas as science and technology, culture, tourism and education.

Moreover, according to Russia's Education Ministry, for the first time, Russian schoolchildren can now choose the Chinese language for the Unified State Exam as of 2019, noting the growing interest among Russian schoolchildren and students to learn Chinese.

Commitments and responsibilities

Currently, China and Russia have enhanced communication in multilateral mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Group of 20 and BRICS. They have also coordinated their positions and views on regional hotspot issues such as the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the Iranian nuclear deal, and worked together to uphold international fairness, justice and world peace and stability, said Wei. Their efforts have promoted the multi-polarization in international relations and contributed to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, he added.

Recognizing that the current international security situation is facing serious challenges, the presidents of the two countries also signed a joint statement on strengthening global strategic stability.

"Under current circumstances, the two sides should deepen strategic coordination, not only to safeguard the interests of China and Russia, but also to defend basic international norms and justice as well as world peace, security and stability," Xi said during talks with Putin.

For his part, Putin said that the more complex and volatile the international situation is, the more Russia and China should consolidate and deepen political mutual trust, boost coordination and cooperation in international affairs and safeguard international law and basic norms of international relations.

Foreign Minister Wang remarked that the joint statement demonstrated the united voice of China and Russia in coping with challenges in strategic security, intensifying strategic coordination in regional security hotspots and advancing a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the plenary session of the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia on June 7 (XINHUA)

The SPIEF is an important platform for the international community to share views on global economic development, and in his remarks, Xi highlighted sustainable development as the "golden key" to solving global problems and the best entry point to cooperation for shared interests worldwide, Wang said.

While addressing the SPIEF, Xi called for joint efforts in creating an open world economy, people-oriented and inclusive societies, and a beautiful homeland with harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

He also said China will continue to further open up, preserve the multilateral trading system and carry out trade cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect. It is willing to share its latest scientific achievements, including 5G technology, with other countries, promote communication and cooperation in such areas as poverty reduction and social security, and join hands to tackle global climate change and other issues.

It is widely believed that China has been trying to achieve universal benefits through positive interactions with other countries instead of pursuing selfish goals or playing a zero-sum game, said Wang.

"When China and Russia stand together, the world will be a safer and more peaceful and stable place," Wang concluded.

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

Comments to mamm@bjreview.com

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