Beijing, 3 Mar (ZXS) -- At the invitation of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from 18 to 3 March.
Experts on international issues interviewed by China News Agency believe that the significance and influence of China-Russia relations go beyond the bilateral scope, and that Sino-Russian friendship is a positive asset for the world and will inject stability into world peace and development. At a time when the international security situation is becoming increasingly fragile, this visit will lead the course for the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia in the new era, which will benefit both the two peoples and the international community.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin introduced the visit arrangements at a regular press conference on the 17th, in which "friendship trip", "cooperation trip" and "peace journey" have become three important keywords of external attention. Regarding the "friendship trip," Wang Wenbin said the visit would "further deepen mutual trust and understanding between China and Russia, and consolidate the political foundation and public opinion foundation for the friendship between the two peoples from generation to generation."
Ding Xiaoxing, director of the Eurasian Institute of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, believes that after the conclusion of the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress in 2013, President Xi Jinping once again took Russia as the first stop of his foreign visit after assuming the presidency, which fully reflects the great importance that China attaches to China-Russia relations in the new era.
"This choice also shows that Sino-Russian friendship has not been affected by a momentary event." Cui Hongjian, director of the Institute of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that China-Russia relations have undergone vicissitudes and tests, especially in the context of complex changes in the international situation in recent years, bilateral relations have remained stable, showing the historical foundation of friendship and strong endogenous driving force.
What is a "partnership journey"? Wang Wenbin said that the visit will "promote mutually beneficial cooperation in various bilateral fields, deepen the docking and cooperation between the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, and help the two countries achieve their respective development and revitalization goals."
Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui pointed out in an interview a few days ago that in 2022, in the face of multiple tests such as the delay of the new crown epidemic, the complex evolution of the international situation and the weak global economic recovery, China-Russia economic and trade cooperation has bucked the trend, China-Russia goods trade has achieved a historical breakthrough of 1902.7 billion US dollars, Heihe Highway Bridge, Tongjiang Railway Bridge and other border river bridges have been opened to traffic, cross-border logistics and transportation channels have been further expanded, and the geographical scope of China-Russia cooperation has been continuously expanded.
Wang Wenbin said that during President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia, the two heads of state will have an in-depth exchange of views on practical cooperation issues of common concern. The two sides will continue to follow the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results, solidly promote the docking and cooperation between the "Belt and Road" initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, jointly maintain the stability and smoothness of the industrial chain and supply chain, strengthen exchanges at all levels between the two sides, and consolidate the foundation of friendly public opinion in bilateral relations.
In Cui Hongjian's view, China and Russia, as each other's largest neighbors and major emerging market countries, have strong resilience, sufficient potential and great space for cooperation. "This year coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, Russia is an important partner of China in the cooperation to jointly build the Belt and Road, and further cooperation between China and Russia within the framework of the Belt and Road can influence and radiate a wider range of countries and regions."
Ding Xiaoxing believes that China and Russia need to steadily advance strategic projects in the fields of energy, aviation and infrastructure at key nodes, and at the same time develop cooperation in more new fields such as cross-border e-commerce, digital economy, and biomedicine according to changes in the situation.
Against the backdrop of complex international and regional situations and unresolved local conflicts, how this "peace journey" will be carried out has also attracted great attention from the outside world. At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 17th, when a reporter asked whether "President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia will further explain China's position and stand to Russia in depth and influence Russia on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis", Wang Wenbin responded that President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia is also for peace.
Wang Wenbin said that the two sides will practice true multilateralism, promote democracy in international relations, build a multipolar world pattern, improve global governance, and contribute to world development and progress on the basis of the principles of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties. China will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukraine crisis and play a constructive role in persuading peace and promoting talks.
Cui Hongjian said in this regard that since the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, China has put forward a global security initiative and issued the document "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis", always standing on the side of peace and dialogue. China's emphasis on the "peace journey" is in line with its consistent position on the Ukraine crisis.
Ding Xiaoxing also believes that the Chinese and Russian heads of state may exchange views on world peace and building a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture, which is also an important part of China's active participation in global security governance.
Regarding the view of some politicians in the United States and Western countries that the continuous convergence of China and Russia is a challenge to the international order, Cui Hongjian pointed out that this view is obviously biased and steals the concept of international order. China-Russia relations are based on non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties, and "Sino-Russian friendly cooperation has a solid political and economic foundation, and Sino-Russian cooperation conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples and contributes to world peace and stability." (End)