BEIJING, May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A natural gas pipeline that stretches 3,000 kilometers in Russia and 5,111 km in China commenced operations in December last year, benefiting about 450 million people along its route.
The China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline is a landmark project of energy cooperation between the two countries, yet ties between the two neighboring nations go far beyond that.
In 2024, bilateral trade rose to $244.8 billion, making China the largest trading partner of Russia for 15 consecutive years. At the leadership level, the two heads of state have met more than 40 times on various occasions over the years.
In the face of unprecedented global changes, China and Russia have continuously deepened political mutual trust and strategic coordination, maintained close cooperation in international affairs, and injected valuable stability and positive energy into a turbulent world, visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.
Xi arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a state visit and to attend celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.
A pillar of stability
Xi urged China and Russia to resolutely defend the rights and interests of the two countries and the vast number of developing countries in the face of the countercurrent of unilateralism and the acts of power politics and bullying in the world.
He called for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, noting that this is also an inevitable choice for both sides to achieve mutual success and promote their own development and revitalization.
China will work with Russia to shoulder the special responsibility as major countries of the world and permanent members of the UN Security Council, Xi added.
Feng Shaolei, director of the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, pointed out that President Xi's visit – like his previous trips to Russia – aims to strengthen the long-standing friendship and strategic partnership between the two countries, and help maintain peace and stability in both the region and the wider world.
Feng emphasized that both countries advocate an independent and autonomous approach to managing their internal and external affairs, and he believes the China-Russia relationship serves as a stabilizing anchor amid global transformation.
Wang Yong, a professor at Peking University's School of International Studies, said the world is at a critical moment, and China and Russia should step up cooperation under multilateral platforms to guide global governance in the right direction and push back against unilateralism and bullying.
For China and Russia, joining hands to build a community with a shared future for mankind and contributing more stability and positive energy to the international community is far wiser and more meaningful than engaging in geopolitics, Wang added.
Resilient ties
Hailing long-term good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation as distinct features of bilateral ties, President Xi remarked that China-Russia relations have become more confident, stable and resilient in the new era. Putin echoed the sentiment, saying the relationship is built on mutual respect and equality and is not swayed by external circumstances.
The two presidents on Thursday witnessed the signing and exchange of over 20 bilateral cooperation documents, covering areas such as global strategic stability, upholding the authority of international law, investment protection, digital economy, quarantine and film cooperation.
Professor Feng emphasized that pragmatic cooperation remains the strongest internal driver of the China-Russia partnership. While traditional areas such as energy, aerospace and infrastructure remain key pillars, the two countries are expanding cooperation into emerging sectors including the digital economy, biomedicine and green development.
Cultural and people-to-people exchanges have also gained momentum. In 2023, the two leaders agreed to make 2024 and 2025 the China-Russia Years of Culture, launching hundreds of exchange activities such as exhibitions, film screenings and academic collaborations.
On top of that, the two sides have made impressive strides in educational cooperation. More than 200 Russian universities now offer Chinese language courses, with some 90,000 students studying the language. Meanwhile, over 40,000 Chinese students are pursuing studies in Russia.
Contact: CGTN, cgtn@cgtn.com