New chapter in Russia-China friendly cooperation and common development

“Forward vigorously, opening a new chapter in friendly cooperation and common development between China and Russia” is the title of an article by Mr. Xi Jinping published in Rossiiskaya Gazeta, the Russian government newspaper, on March 20.

He affirmed that this visit to Russia is a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace”. He hopes to work with Russian President Putin to outline a new vision, new detailed plan and new measures for the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the coming period.

Illustration photo: VCG

He said that Russia was not only the first country he visited after being elected as Chinese President 10 years ago, but also that in the past 10 years he had visited Russia eight times and together with President Putin “opened a new chapter in China-Russia relations”. Over the years, the two sides have maintained close contact with each other 40 times in bilateral and international activities, helping to guide the sustainable, healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. In 2022, two-way trade between China and Russia exceeded 190 billion USD, an increase of 116% over 10 years ago. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years.

He said that "the development of China-Russia relations has clear historical logic and strong endogenous momentum", and assessed that over the past 10 years, cooperation in various fields between the two sides has made great strides and entered a new era.

According to him, Sino-Russian relations have experienced many ups and downs in the past 70 years, so it is necessary to cherish the “hard-won” relationship between the two countries. Both sides should strengthen overall planning, focus on the development and rejuvenation of each country, explore new ideas, create new opportunities and inject new impetus; enhance mutual trust, unleash potential and always maintain a high level of Sino-Russian relations.

Xi Jinping also said that the world is being threatened by “hegemonic, authoritarian and bullying actions”, affirming that “there is no universal model of national governance for all countries and no international order where the decision-making power belongs to a certain country. A world of unity without division and peace without instability is in line with the common interests of all mankind”.

On the Ukraine issue, the Chinese President said that the 12-point stance on a political solution to the Ukraine crisis that China announced late last month “accommodates the reasonable concerns of all parties, represents the largest common denominator of the international community on the Ukraine crisis, plays a constructive role in minimizing the spillover effects of the crisis and promoting a political solution.”

“Complex problems have no simple solutions,” he asserted. He called on all parties to engage in “equal, rational and realistic” dialogue to find a reasonable way out of the crisis, guided by the “concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.”

It is known that Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from March 20-22. This is his first foreign visit after being re-elected as Chinese President and his ninth visit to Russia as Chinese President./.