CULTURE SHOCK: Russian kids examine Chinese embroidery during the Chinese Culture Festival in Moscow on September 3 (LU JINBO)

First of all, high-level exchanges have been frequent. Leaders' attendance at each other's major events and their frequent meetings provide a solid foundation for China-Russia relations. In May, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Russia and attended Russia's celebrations of the 65th anniversary of its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II in Moscow. In late September, Medvedev visited China.

During his visit, the two countries signed a series of agreements on economic and trade cooperation, specifically in the fields of nuclear energy, coal, oil and natural gas. Hu and Medvedev also witnessed the completion of the Sino-Russian oil pipeline.

The completion of the pipeline marked a new stage for China-Russia energy cooperation and pushed the development of upstream and downstream cooperation—including crude oil extraction, transportation and processing as well as the sales of oil products—into the fast lane. The project helped Russia realize the diversification of its energy exports and increased the security and reliability of China's external energy supply.

According to an agreement signed last year, China will provide a $25-billion loan to Russia and Russia will pump 15 million tons of oil to China annually from 2011 to 2030.

In the meantime, Russia is planning to supply China with 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year, starting in 2015. The two sides are expected to reach a pricing agreement next year.

Affected by the financial crisis, two-way trade between China and Russia experienced a sharp drop of 31.8 percent last year. With joint efforts by the two countries, trade began to recover in the first half of this year. From January to August, bilateral trade volume reached $35.3 billion, up 50 percent from the same period last year. Trade volume for the whole year is likely to hit $60 billion.

It is worth noting that cooperation between the two countries' local governments has made progress. Last year, for instance, Chinese and Russian heads of state approved a plan for cooperation between northeast China and Russia's Far East and Eastern Siberia from 2009 to 2018. And the plan is being put into practice.

Cultural exchanges between the two countries have expanded, as well. "Chinese fever" continues to heat up in Russia, while Russian culture has gained popularity in China too. More and more Chinese students are going to study in Russia, and the total number is expected to reach 30,000 to 40,000 in the next few years.

Activities held during the Year of the Russian Language in China and the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia have helped the Chinese and Russians gain a better understanding of each other's cultures. They have also contributed to strengthened cooperation in education, culture, health, sports, tourism and media. Last year, for example, more than 1 million Chinese tourists went to Russia and more than 3.5 million Russian tourists came to China. The two governments are discussing plans to hold tourism promotion activities in both countries during the next two years.

The Ultimate Secrets of a Warrior, a TV series created jointly by China and Russia and starring actors from both countries, also highlighted cooperation. It was broadcast by Moscow-based REN-TV in primetime in June, and received high ratings. This TV series represented new progress in the two countries' media cooperation. What's more, it aroused audience interest in the two cultures, thus helping enhance mutual understanding.

In addition, China and Russia support each other on issues concerning their core interests. Both advocate a multi-polar world, featuring democratic international relations. China continues to support Russia's major role in international affairs and Russia has always supported China on all sensitive issues, including the Taiwan question.

The two countries share the same stance on the history of World War II, with both committed to safeguarding the authenticity of that history. China recognizes the important role of the Soviet Red Army in China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), while Russia speaks highly of China's great contributions to the Soviet Union's final victory against Nazi Germany.

The author is director of the China Center for Periphery Security Studies of the China Institute of International Studies