China, Russia eye stronger all-round practical cooperation

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday co-chaired the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow and said China is ready to work with Russia to strengthen all-round practical cooperation between the two countries, and push the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era to a new level. 

Analysts said that China-Russia ties remain solid and can withstand any impact and interruption from outside, and will continue to benefit the two peoples by boosting trade and comprehensive cooperation, while China's stance for peace on the Ukraine crisis will remain unchanged. 

While co-chairing the meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government, Li said that China is ready to work with Russia to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state and take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties to uphold mutual respect, mutual trust, everlasting friendship and mutual benefit.

Mishustin said Russia is ready to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to deepen mutual trust, expand cooperation in investment, energy, economy and trade, culture and sub-national areas, and ensure the success of the Russia-China Years of Culture.

Mishustin pledged Russia will join China in strengthening communication and coordination in international affairs, better safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the two sides, and pushing forward the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

After the meeting, the two leaders signed a joint communique of the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government and a new version of the outline of the China-Russia investment cooperation plan.

According to the Kremlin, Putin also met Li in Moscow on Wednesday. "Our countries have large-scale joint plans, projects in the economic and humanitarian areas, we expect them to last for many years," the RIA state news agency quoted Putin as saying.

Wang Xiaoquan, an expert with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that this is the 29th meeting between the heads of government of the two countries. This is proof that China-Russia relations have set a paradigm for major power relations in a world in turbulence, which is based on long-term and stable win-win cooperation and solid mutual trust and respect.

Comprehensive partnership

A key characteristic of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era is the comprehensive communication mechanism that covers almost all governmental sectors and departments in all fields, Wang noted.

The two countries will use the communication mechanism to jointly deal with problems that emerge when the two sides develop their relations, and they will constantly strengthen their mutual trust and tacit understanding, experts noted. 

China and Russia are both permanent members of the UN Security Council so they do have reason to maintain frequent and high-level communication to not only handle bilateral issues, but also to undertake diplomatic cooperation to jointly take responsibility to safeguard the multi-polarization process of the world, analysts said. 

"Therefore, the recent frequent exchanges between Chinese and Russian leaders and senior officials are not pushed by any other element or pressure, but are driven by normal demand of the two countries to develop their relations," Wang said.

Yang Jin, an associate research fellow with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the meeting between the heads of government normally focuses on trade and economic issues, as well as implementation of the consensuses reached by the heads of state of the two countries.  

Currently, there are some changes in the battlefields of Russia-Ukraine conflict, but the exchanges between China and Russia have nothing to do with these changes. Normal cooperation between the two countries in all fields can effectively withstand the pressure and impacts from outside, and China's neutrality and stance for peace on the Ukraine crisis will not change, Yang noted.   

Deal with challenges

Mishustin said at the meeting with Li that Moscow and Beijing should jointly defend their interests and the principles of the multipolar world order in the conditions of Western sanctions pressure, Russian news agency Tass reported on Wednesday.

"Western countries are trying to maintain their global dominance and contain the economic and technological potential of Russia and China," Mishustin said.

"That is why it is important to concentrate efforts on protecting our common interests, building a multipolar world order and strengthening coordination on international platforms," Mishustin emphasized, according to Tass.

Cui Heng, a research fellow with the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, said that in the past two years, the US and NATO have tried to stigmatize and interrupt China-Russia relations, but these attempts have failed, as the two countries are just doing what they should and what they must to take care of their people from the harms of Western sanctions. 

"Russian people have the right to live and enjoy economic development, so when Western firms withdraw from Russia, it's very natural that China and other economies from the Global South will come in, so the US and its followers are in no position to appoint blame about that," Cui noted.