by Xinhua Writer Zhao Qing
BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will come to China Saturday for a high-profile state visit as China and Russia celebrate the rich legacy of 25 years of diplomatic ties and 20 years of comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.
Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, both firmly devoted to a vigorous bilateral relationship and frequent visitors to each other's countries, will hold their seventh meeting since last year.
Analysts here have noticed that "China-Russian ties at an unprecedented level" has become a catchphrase of both sides in recent years. They predict a further flourishing of bilateral cooperation due to mutual trust, common interests and shared determination.
HISTORICAL LESSONS CALL FOR PEACE
China-Russian ties have experienced turbulent times. Shortly after the former Soviet Union was dissolved, the two countries realized that in order to revitalize their countries' economies and maintain security, they should work together to enhance all-round cooperation and ensure border peace, said Li Yonghui, a researcher at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
In 1992, the two countries declared each other as "friendly nations." In 1996 they upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and in 2001, they signed the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
COMMON INTERESTS IN REGIONAL SECURITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
China and Russia share common interests in maintaining regional security and economic development. After the United States put forward its Asia-Pacific rebalance strategy, the two countries need to unite to ensure their security interests are not harmed, Li said.
They both face the arduous task of developing their economies and are quite complementary to each other as China offers a large market and capital while Russia has sustantial resources, Li added.
MUTUAL TRUST PROMOTES ALL-ROUND COOPERATION
As a result, the two sides have both shown strong determination to develop cooperation and "mutual trust has reached an unprecedented level," President Putin said in a recent interview with Xinhua. When elaborating " a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination," Putin said the word "comprehensive" means that the two countries are cooperating in almost all vital areas, and "strategic" demonstrates the prime importance they are attaching to their relationship.
All-round cooperation has borne rich fruits in recent years. Sincere dialogues are being held to overcome differences and difficulties. Substantial actions have been taken to optimize and diversify bilateral trade structure. Cooperation in the fields of space and aviation, energy, infrastructure and others have resulted in large, successful projects in recent years, Li said.
Meanwhile, cultural activities such as the Chinese Year and the Russian Year are held in the two countries alternately and help promote mutual trust between the two peoples, he said.
COOPERATION IN REGIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Li also noticed the increasingly strong cooperation between China and Russia in regional and international affairs.
The two countries have enjoyed good coordination and cooperation on all major international and regional matters including the reform of the United Nations Security Council, climate change, the crisis in Syria and others, he said. As Putin said, "we see each other as close allies, so of course we always listen to each other, by this I mean we keep in mind each other's interests."
MUTUAL RESPECT HELPS OVERCOME DIFFERENCES
The two countries have also shown great respect for each other, which helps them to overcome differences, said Wang Yiwei, a professor from School of International Studies of China's Renmin University.
On the development and enlargement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and on the alignment of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) with the Belt and Road Initiative, the two countries have shown respect for each others' opinions and have always carried out frank and friendly negotiations.
The comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia has now become a model of the relationship between major powers. President Putin's upcoming visit to China shows that he attaches great importance to bilateral ties, Wang said.
Mutual trust between China and Russia has now reached an unprecedented level and this is reflected in politics, economy, culture, investment, public opinion, people's mentality and other areas. They also trust in each other's countries' social systems.
In global affairs, the two countries cooperate as comprehensive strategic partners. These all provide a solid foundation for furthering bilateral ties, said He Maochun, director of the Research Center for Economic Diplomacy Studies at Tsinghua University.
