BEIJING: As last week marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, expressing hope of future growth of their relationship with Moscow.

Underlining the great importance he attaches to the development of Sino-Russian ties, Xi said he is ready to work with Putin and take the occasion of the 75th anniversary as an opportunity to firmly steer bilateral relations in the right direction.

Xi vowed to continue expanding all-around practical cooperation and jointly promoting the high-quality development and modernization of the two countries.

The goal is to “make fresh contributions to safeguarding world peace and stability, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind”, he said.

Three-quarters of a century ago, Russia was the first country in the world to recognize the People’s Republic of China, and the two nations quickly established a close collaborative relationship.

In his message to Xi, Putin said the close and mutually beneficial ties between Russia and China have stood the test of time.

Hailing the current relationship as being in the best shape of all time, Putin said the two sides have earnestly carried out cooperation in areas including politics, trade and economy, and science and technology.

Both countries have efficiently coordinated in international and regional affairs, and worked together to build a just and multipolar world order, he added.

Analysts said the two countries have established systematic and comprehensive mechanisms for high-level exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and their pragmatic cooperation enjoys strong impetus and has huge potential.

Zhang Hanhui, China’s ambassador to Russia, said that Xi and Putin have met more than 40 times, establishing close working links and forging a deep friendship.

The two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era “has set a role model for the international community in terms of shaping a new type of major country relations”, Zhang said in a signed article published on Tuesday on the embassy’s website.

China has been Russia’s top trading partner for 14 consecutive years, while Russia has grown to become China’s eighth-largest trading partner. Annual bilateral trade reached $240.1 billion last year, up 26.3 percent year-on-year, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

On the global stage, the two countries work closely within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS. This year, Russia holds the rotating presidency of BRICS and China holds the rotating chairmanship of the SCO.

In his message to Putin, Xi noted the shared identities of China and Russia as major countries in the world and key emerging markets, and as each other’s largest neighbor.

Over 75 years, the two nations have continuously scaled up bilateral relations based on their fundamental interests and those of their peoples, while adequately drawing lessons from the past, Xi said.

Lasting good-neighborliness, comprehensive strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation have become the most essential features of bilateral ties, he said.

Xi pointed out that in the new era, the two sides have continued to deepen political mutual trust, achieved remarkable results in practical cooperation, and won deep support for enduring friendship.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2024