Forging Ahead to Open a New Chapter of China-Russia Friendship, Cooperation and Common Development
Xi Jinping
President of the People's Republic of China
At
the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, I will soon pay a state
visit to the Russian Federation. Russia was the first country I visited
after I was elected President 10 years ago. Over the past decade, I have
made eight visits to Russia. I came each time with high expectations
and returned with fruitful results, opening a new chapter for
China-Russia relations together with President Putin.
China
and Russia are each other's biggest neighbor and comprehensive
strategic partner of coordination. We are both major countries in the
world and permanent members of the UN Security Council. Both countries
uphold an independent foreign policy and see our relationship as a high
priority in our diplomacy.
There
is a clear historical logic and strong internal driving force for the
growth of China-Russia relations. Over the past 10 years, we have come a
long way in our wide-ranging cooperation and made significant strides
into the new era.
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High-level interactions have played a key strategic role in leading
China-Russia relations. We have established a whole set of mechanisms
for high-level interactions and multi-faceted cooperation which provide
important systemic and institutional safeguards for the growth of the
bilateral ties. Over the years, I have maintained a close working
relationship with President Putin. We have met 40 times on bilateral and
international occasions. Together we have drawn the blueprint for the
bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields, and have had
timely communication on major international and regional issues of
mutual interest, providing firm stewardship for the sustained, sound and
stable growth of China-Russia relations.
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Our two sides have cemented political mutual trust and fostered a new
model of major-country relations. Guided by a vision of lasting
friendship and win-win cooperation, China and Russia are committed to
no-alliance, no-confrontation and not targeting any third party in
developing our ties. We firmly support each other in following a
development path suited to our respective national realities and support
each other's development and rejuvenation. The bilateral relationship
has grown more mature and resilient. It is brimming with new dynamism
and vitality, setting a fine example for developing a new model of
major-country relations featuring mutual trust, peaceful coexistence and
win-win cooperation.
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Our two sides have put in place an all-round and multi-tiered
cooperation framework. Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides,
China-Russia trade exceeded 190 billion U.S. dollars last year, up by
116 percent from ten years ago. China has been Russia's largest trading
partner for 13 years running. We have seen steady increase in our
two-way investment. Our cooperation on major projects in such fields as
energy, aviation, space and connectivity is moving forward steadily. Our
collaboration in scientific and technological innovation, cross-border
e-commerce and other emerging areas is showing a strong momentum. Our
cooperation at the sub-national level is also booming. All this has
brought tangible benefits to both the Chinese and the Russian peoples
and provided unceasing driving force for our respective development and
rejuvenation.
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Our two sides have acted on the vision of lasting friendship and
steadily strengthened our traditional friendship. On the occasion of
commemorating the 20th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty of
Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, President Putin and I
announced the extension of the Treaty and added new dimensions to it.
Our two sides have held eight "theme years" at the national level and
continued to write new chapters for China-Russia friendship and
cooperation. Our two peoples have stood by and rooted for each other in
the fight against COVID, which once again proves that "a friend in need
is a friend indeed."
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Our two sides have had close coordination on the international stage
and fulfilled our responsibilities as major countries. China and Russia
are firmly committed to safeguarding the UN-centered international
system, the international order underpinned by international law, and
the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and
principles of the UN Charter. We have stayed in close communication and
coordination in the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS,
the G20 and other multilateral mechanisms, and worked together for a
multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations. We
have been active in practicing true multilateralism, promoting the
common values of humanity, and championing the building of a new type of
international relations and a community with a shared future for
mankind.
Looking
back on the extraordinary journey of China-Russia relations over the
past 70 years and more, we feel strongly that our relationship has not
reached easily where it is today, and that our friendship is growing
steadily and must be cherished by us all. China and Russia have found a
right path of state-to-state interactions. This is essential for the
relationship to stand the test of changing international circumstances, a
lesson borne out by both history and reality.
My
upcoming visit to Russia will be a journey of friendship, cooperation
and peace. I look forward to working with President Putin to jointly
adopt a new vision, a new blueprint and new measures for the growth of
China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the
years to come.
To
this end, our two sides need to enhance coordination and planning. As
we focus on our respective cause of development and rejuvenation, we
should get creative in our thinking, create new opportunities and inject
new impetus. It is important that we increase mutual trust and bring
out the potential of bilateral cooperation to keep China-Russia
relations at a high level.
Our
two sides need to raise both the quality and quantity of investment and
economic cooperation and step up policy coordination to create
favorable conditions for the high-quality development of our investment
cooperation. We need to boost two-way trade, foster more convergence of
interests and areas of cooperation, and promote the complementary and
synchronized development of traditional trade and emerging areas of
cooperation. We need to make sustained efforts to synergize the Belt and
Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, so as to provide more
institutional support for bilateral and regional cooperation.
Our
two sides need to step up people-to-people and cultural exchanges and
ensure the success of China-Russia Years of Sports Exchange. We should
make good use of the sub-national cooperation mechanisms to facilitate
more interactions between sister provinces/states and cities. We should
encourage personnel exchanges and push for the resumption of tourism
cooperation. We should make available better summer camps, jointly-run
schools and other programs to steadily enhance the mutual understanding
and friendship between our peoples, especially between the youth.
The
world today is going through profound changes unseen in a century. The
historical trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation is
unstoppable. The prevailing trends of world multi-polarity, economic
globalization and greater democracy in international relations are
irreversible. On the other hand, our world is confronted with complex
and intertwined traditional and non-traditional security challenges,
damaging acts of hegemony, domination and bullying, and long and
tortuous global economic recovery. Countries around the world are deeply
concerned and eager to find a cooperative way out of the crisis.
In
March 2013, when speaking at the Moscow State Institute of
International Relations, I observed that countries are linked with and
dependent on one another at a level never seen before, and that mankind,
living in the same global village, have increasingly emerged as a
community with a shared future in which everyone's interests are closely
entwined. Since then, I have proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, the
Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the
Global Civilization Initiative on different occasions. All these have
enriched our vision for a community with a shared future for mankind and
provided practical pathways toward it. They are part of China's
response to the changes of the world, of our times, and of the historic
trajectory.
Through
these ten years, the common values of humanity -- peace, development,
equity, justice, democracy and freedom -- have taken deeper roots in the
heart of the people. An open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world with
lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity has become the
shared aspiration of more and more countries. The international
community has recognized that no country is superior to others, no model
of governance is universal, and no single country should dictate the
international order. The common interest of all humankind is in a world
that is united and peaceful, rather than divided and volatile.
Since
last year, there has been an all-round escalation of the Ukraine
crisis. China has all along upheld an objective and impartial position
based on the merits of the issue, and actively promoted peace talks. I
have put forth several proposals, i.e., observing the purposes and
principles of the UN Charter, respect of the legitimate security
concerns of all countries, supporting all efforts conducive to the
peaceful settlement of the crisis, and ensuring the stability of global
industrial and supply chains. They have become China's fundamental
principles for addressing the Ukraine crisis.
Not
long ago, we released China's Position on the Political Settlement of
the Ukraine Crisis, which takes into account the legitimate concerns of
all parties and reflects the broadest common understanding of the
international community on the crisis. It has been constructive in
mitigating the spillovers of the crisis and facilitating its political
settlement. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. We believe
that as long as all parties embrace the vision of common, comprehensive,
cooperative and sustainable security, and pursue equal-footed, rational
and results-oriented dialogue and consultation, they will find a
reasonable way to resolve the crisis as well as a broad path toward a
world of lasting peace and common security.
To
run the world's affairs well, one must first and foremost run its own
affairs well. The Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist
Party of China, are striving in unity to advance the rejuvenation of the
Chinese nation on all fronts through the Chinese path to modernization.
Chinese modernization is characterized by the following features: it is
the modernization of a huge population, the modernization of common
prosperity for all, the modernization of material and cultural-ethical
advancement, the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature,
and the modernization of peaceful development. These distinctive Chinese
features are the crystallization of our practices and explorations over
the years, and reflect our profound understanding of international
experience. Going forward, we will steadfastly advance the cause of
Chinese modernization, strive to realize high-quality development, and
expand high-standard opening up. I believe that this will bring new
development opportunities to Russia and all countries in the world.
Just
as every new year starts with spring, every success starts with
actions. We have every reason to expect that China and Russia, as fellow
travelers on the journey of development and rejuvenation, will make new
and greater contributions to human advancement. ■