The second day of the 60th commemoration of the founding of the People's Republic of China saw yet another big day to remember and celebrate—the 60th anniversary of the beginning of China-Russia diplomatic relations.

In the past six decades, bilateral relations have witnessed an extraordinary journey full of ups and downs. The products of these ties have fluctuated considerably, from alliances and friendship, confrontations and conflicts, and finally to normalization and cooperation.

Many elderly Chinese continue to harbor fond memories of the "Soviet Big Brother" teams of outside experts and technicians who helped the newborn People's Republic transform and advance its battered economy in the 1950s.

But the honeymoon came to an end following differences over major issues between the ruling parties of the two nations. These relations hit rock bottom in March 1969, when military hostilities broke out along the Chinese-Soviet border.

Bilateral ties thawed and gradually normalized in the 1980s. And since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, China and Russia have continued their momentous progress toward bilateral cooperation.

Leaders of the two countries, proceeding with a long-term perspective, established the China-Russia strategic partnership of cooperation in April 1996. Since that milestone, the partnership has evolved into a mature, stable and sound relationship, in which bilateral political trust has reached new peaks.

With joint efforts, Sino-Russian relations have reaped fruitful harvests in various sectors. The agreement over a 4,300-km border issue, in addition to mutual assent on more than 30 cooperative mechanisms, for example, has led to a bilateral trade volume seven times larger than that of six decades ago. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Beijing once more testified to the win-win nature of such ties.

His trip also marked the closure of the Year of Russian Language in China. During the event, the two nations held more than 200 cultural exchange activities in China. Previously, the Year of China in Russia and the Year of Russia in China successfully boosted understanding between the two peoples. In 2010, the Year of Chinese Language will be launched in Russia. The program will continue the trend of friendship.