On May 21, during a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on his visit to China, President Xi Jinping repeatedly emphasized four words: “higher quality.”
“Build higher quality political mutual trust,” “empower higher quality mutually beneficial cooperation,” “promote higher quality people-to-people connectivity,” and “conduct higher quality international coordination.”
These outlines for the direction of China-Russia relations all point to a major theme: promoting the higher quality development of China-Russia relations.
Higher quality China-Russia relations require a stronger foundation.
Through years of ups and downs, political mutual trust is the most distinctive feature of China-Russia relations.
Twenty-five years ago, China and Russia signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. Over the years, both countries have consistently adhered to the principles of “non-alliance, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties” established by this treaty, “making important contributions to maintaining international fairness and justice and promoting the building of a new type of international relations, becoming a key constant in the world’s century-old changes.”
This meeting between the heads of state of China and Russia further consolidated the foundation of political mutual trust between the two countries. The two leaders agreed to extend the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and jointly signed a joint statement on further strengthening comprehensive strategic coordination and deepening good-neighborly and friendly cooperation.
“Under the joint strategic guidance of President Putin and myself, China-Russia relations have reached a new starting point,” President Xi Jinping said.
Higher quality China-Russia relations require greater substance.
Practical cooperation is the endogenous driving force for the stable development of China-Russia relations.
Over the years, China and Russia have “expanded cooperation in various fields with the spirit of ‘reaching a higher level,'” achieving many positive results. Bilateral trade has exceeded $200 billion for three consecutive years, and in the first four months of this year, bilateral trade grew by nearly 20%.
At the joint press conference with Putin, President Xi Jinping pointed out: “Both sides should seize the momentum, deepen the alignment of China’s ’15th Five-Year Plan’ with Russia’s development strategy up to 2030, and promote the upgrading of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields to serve the development and revitalization of both countries.”
After the talks, the heads of state of China and Russia witnessed the signing of 20 cooperation documents in areas such as economy, trade, education, and science and technology.
Promoting the upgrading of practical cooperation in economic and trade, investment, energy resources, transportation, and scientific and technological innovation, and actively laying out cooperation in frontier fields—these directions for China-Russia cooperation mentioned by President Xi Jinping show broad prospects for mutual achievement and common prosperity between the two countries.
Higher quality China-Russia relations require closer people-to-people ties.
“President Putin and I have decided to hold the 10th national theme year in the next two years—the ‘China-Russia Education Year,'” President Xi Jinping said on May 20, noting that this is a strategic deployment by the two heads of state “with a view to the long-term development of China-Russia relations.”
Education is an important bridge connecting people’s hearts and passing on friendship between countries. In recent years, the breadth and depth of China-Russia educational exchanges have continued to expand, and the “China-Russia Education Year” will inject new momentum into the inheritance of China-Russia friendship from generation to generation and the mutual understanding and affinity between the peoples of the two countries.
With the high-level development of China-Russia relations, people-to-people exchanges have become increasingly close, and the bond between people is growing stronger. Today, China and Russia have established 177 pairs of friendly provinces and cities and dozens of pairs of economic and trade partner provinces and states. Mutual theme years have become a fine tradition of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, and the number of students studying in each other’s countries continues to increase.
This time, President Xi Jinping pointed out that both sides should “achieve more visible results in cultivating outstanding talents and joint scientific research, creating more favorable conditions for the continuous development of China-Russia relations.”
Higher quality China-Russia relations require a more resolute pace.
