China-Russia cooperation enjoys broad prospects
By Wu
Yan, Ji Peijuan, Yin Xinyu, Zhou Hanbo (People’s Daily)
After seven decades of
hardships and efforts, the cooperation between China and Russia has become
increasingly mature, stable and resilient.
Ahead of Chinese President Xi
Jinping’s trip to Russia for a state visit and the 23rd
St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Central Bank of the Russian
Federation issued a set of commemorative coins to mark the 70th anniversary of
China-Russia diplomatic ties, which showcased the profound relationship between
the two nations.
On
October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded, and Sergey
Leonidovich Tikhvinsky, Soviet Consul General to China and a famous sinologist
immediately submitted a reply message from the Soviet government on the second
day, confirming the establishment of diplomatic ties with the PRC, introduced Dmitri
Mezentsev, Chairman of the Russia-China Friendship Association when fondly
recalling the late sinologist.
In November, 2017, the last
volume of a book series
on the general history of China compiled by Tikhvinsky was published in Moscow.
On the launching ceremony,
the senior, who was then 99 years old, made an unscripted speech on how he had
compiled the 10-volume books without making any mistake. “That
is because China was in his heart and the books were his life,”
Mezentsev noted.
The touching
story of Tikhvinsky is not the only case, and it vividly demonstrated the profound
and lasting friendship between the Chinese and Russian peoples.
Since
2013, the two heads of state of China and Russia have maintained high frequency
of meetings. They support each other on the hosting of major events, and have
maintained annual exchange of visits. Every handshake between President Xi and his
Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has pushed bilateral relations to a higher
level.
Despite
the current sluggish international trade and investment, as well as rising
protectionism, China-Russia economic and trade cooperation has achieved
remarkable results.
China
remains Russia’s largest trading partner, while Russia ranks the tenth the
other way around. In 2018, bilateral trade volume between the two countries hit
a record of $100 billion, representing the largest growth among all major
trading partners of China. Now, the two countries are making solid progress to
double the figure.
The two
countries have achieved early results in aligning the Belt and Road Initiative
and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). A slew of cooperation projects are
being implemented, including the development and utilization of Arctic waterways,
and Binhai 1 and Binhai 2 international transport corridors.
In May
2018, the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation between China and the
EAEU was officially inked. It will further enhance the facilitation of economic
and trade cooperation in Eurasia.
China
and Russia are linked by mountains and rivers. In recent years, infrastructure
construction cooperation has yielded fruitful results.
The first
shipment of liquefied natural gas from the Yamal LNG project in the Arctic arrived
in China. The second line of the China-Russia oil pipeline began operation, and
the east-route natural gas pipeline is expected to supply gas to China as
scheduled. The two countries have also signed a series of cooperation
agreements in the nuclear sector.
Besides,
Tongjiang railway bridge and the Heihe highway bridge have finished closure.
Upon completion, the cargo turnover through the two bridges is expected to be
doubled, enabling Russia’s Far East region to better cooperate with Chinese
provinces and cities.
The two
countries also enjoy rapid development in the cooperation on emerging fields
such as agriculture, finance, science and technology, and e-commerce.
The
cooperation between the two countries enjoys broad prospects, said Stepanov, a senior researcher at the Institute
of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, adding that it is urgent for
the two countries to enhance trade and investment facilitation and vigorously
promote cooperation on agricultural trade, e-commerce and service trade.
At
present, the tourist exchanges between the two countries have exceeded 3
million, and student exchanges 80,000. Mandarin is included in Russia’s college
entrance examination – the Unified State Exam.
The cultural
and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries cover a wide range of
areas, including the Year of Russia in China, the Year of China in Russia, the Year
of Russian Language in China, the Year of Chinese Language in Russia, the Year
of Tourism, the China-Russia Youth Friendly Exchange Year, the China-Russia
Media Exchange Year, and the year of China-Russia local cooperation and exchange.
The two
countries have also hosted film festivals and translated each other’s
publications to promote people-to-people bond and cultural integration.
The
China-Russia Culture Forum and the China-Russia Cultural Market have become
flagship projects between the two countries concerning cultural exchanges and
cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Russia-China
relations have reached an unprecedented height and achieved remarkable results,
said Pavel Negoitsa, director-general of the Russian Gazette, adding that the
two countries still enjoy great potential. He is looking forward to the further
development of the bilateral relationship in the new era.
A Chinese woman is exhibiting traditional
Chinese handicrafts to Russian visitors. (Wu Yan / People's Daily)
China-Russia cooperation enjoys broad prospects
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