Inject a Stronger Driving Force For Development of the Sino-Russian Relations

By Ji Zhiye

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Inject a Stronger Driving Force For Development of the Sino-Russian Relations

By Ji Zhiye

China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping has successfully completed his state visit to Russia, having passed a very important signal to the outside world. People will find with a little attention that in the year 2003, then Chinese President Hu Jintao selected Russia as his first foreign trip destination as head of state. Chinese state leaders, Hu Jintao, Chinese President, Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council, had chosen Russia their last overseas trip destination during the term of office. These suggest that to give emphasis on personal contacts of Chinese leaders with Russian leaders and to promote bilateral friendly cooperation have become the tradition of diplomatic activity of Chinese top leaders, but also highlight a special status of the Sino-Russian relations in China's overall diplomatic and foreign policy.

Over 20 years since the end of the Cold War, China and Russia experience a smooth transition of several stages of development from the Sino-Soviet relations to the Sino-Russian relations, having shaped the constructive partnership in the year 1994, built the strategic and coordinate partnership in the year 1996, and established a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in the year 2011, and the level of bilateral relations continues to improve, and the closeness continues to deepen. So the healthy development of Sino-Russian relations finds the mutual needs and reliance on each other.

Both China and Russia are the largest neighbors to each other, have a long common border, explore its own path of development compatible with the national conditions, and non-interfere in each other's internal affairs, mutually respect the development path chosen by each side and learn from each successful experience, and mutually cooperate and compete. These are the political foundation to establish a relationship of mutual trust between the two countries.

In the meantime, the leaders of the two countries are forward-looking, and actively promote resolving their territorial disputes through negotiations, having not only signed the three border agreements but also completed the demarcation work. On this basis, China and Russia have also signed agreements on deepening military trust and mutual reduction of military forces in the border area, and continuously deepened military exchanges including military training, and military-technical cooperation. China and Russia have repeatedly organized joint military exercises, showing a high degree of mutual trust in the military field between the two sides.

It is the joint efforts of the leaders of the two countries that thoroughly unfold and continue to deepen the people to people exchanges. Held in both China and Russia, the "National Year", "Year of Languages", "Tourism Year" events, etc. have attracted tens of millions of ordinary people’s participation and promoted mutual understanding between them, so personnel exchanges between the two countries extended to more than 3 million in 2012 from about 200 000-300 000 in the 1990s. The two countries have also mutually set up Cultural Exchange Centers and Language Institutes, having attracted a large number of young people involved in the Sino-Russian cultural exchanges and friendly activities. In recent years, in the eyes of the Russian people, the image of China and the Chinese people has improved significantly. The 2011 poll showed that the Russian people believe that the Chinese people are the most friendly. Prior to this, China is listed in the third or fourth place by Russia in terms of friendship.

The most rapidly developing Sino-Russian relations is undoubtedly the economic and trade relations. Bilateral trade grew to nearly US$89 billion in the year 2012 from US$ 3-4 billion in the early 1990s, an increase of about 25 times in 20 years. It is commendable that the economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia does not stay in the general trade, but extends to various economic sectors.

In the energy sector, China through the Skovorodino - Daqing pipeline imports 15 million tons of crude oil from Russia annually, accounting for about 8% of China's annual total oil imports.

In the high-tech field, Russia has helped train astronauts for China, and carried out space technology cooperation between the two countries; the construction of the first phase of Tianwan nuclear power plant project contracted by Russia has been completed, and the the construction of the second phase is underway; the Russian Nanotechnology Group and the Chinese Lietian Energy Group have carried out the electric car lithium-ion battery project cooperation; and the long-range broad-body aircraft and heavy-duty helicopter projects jointly developed by China and Russia have started.

In the financial sector, China and Russia actively promote the bilateral trade settlement in the national currency, the Chinese yuan and the Russian ruble are listed in each others’ trading market with daily transaction amounting to several million; at the critical moment of the financial crisis, the Chinese energy companies through loans of US$ 25 billion to the Russian enterprises with liabilities obtained cooperation projects of 300 million tons of oil supply over 20 years period, having helped the Russian enterprises turnaround and ensured reliable energy supply for the Chinese.

In the area of regional cooperation, the two sides have hundred cities set up sister cities for cooperation, particularly the Northeast China and the Russian Far East and Eastern Siberia Region Cooperation Planning Outline signed in 2009 has combined the revitalization plan for the old industrial bases in Northeast China and the sustainable development strategies of Russian East Siberian and Far East, having launched as many as 200 large-scale cooperation projects, a strong impetus to the development of regional cooperation and border trade between the two countries.

China and Russia join hands to make efforts to safeguard the basic norms of international relations and maintain world peace, security, and stability in the international arena, which is easily visible in the world. The two countries have full communication and coordination within the framework of the United Nations, play the special role as permanent members of the UN Security Council, uphold justice and prevent attempts of using force to interfere in the domestic affairs of small countries and weak countries; conduct close cooperation within the framework of the Group-20 to promote international financial system reasonable reforms; jointly formulate the BRICS with other emerging markets and explore the development new thinking and new models under the context of economic globalization; create the Shanghai Cooperation Organization together with their Central Asian neighbors, and practice cooperation for security, and cooperation for development, a new concept of international relations. China and Russia, with their actions, are creating a "new model of the major powers relations".

After President Xi Jinping's successful state visit to Russia, the Chinese and Russian people believe that the new leaders of the two countries have laid a more solid foundation for the long-term friendly cooperation between the two countries, and opened up broader prospects and will bring a new hope for the peaceful development of a rapidly changing world.