Wang visits Russia ahead of Putin’s China trip
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi began his two-day working visit to Russia on Tuesday, with Chinese experts saying that close SinoRussian ties are needed amid the complicated international situation.
Wang, a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, plans to meet with Russian leaders and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for an in-depth discussion on arrangements for high-level visits this year, and on improving bilateral cooperation in key areas, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily briefing on Monday.
“Wang’s visit is taking place as both China and Russia are experiencing significant political events – President Xi was elected Chinese president and President Putin has just been re-
elected Russian president. The political situation in the two countries is stable and the leaders need to discuss how to further strengthen bilateral cooperation,” Gao Fei, a professor of Russian studies at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Last week, Putin won in an election with no effective opposition, securing a record fourth term until 2024.
According to Russian state media TASS News Agency, Putin is planning a state visit to China when the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit takes place in Qingdao in June.
China-Russia ties have entered their best period and are moving forward. Aside from the friendship and intimate interaction between the top leaders, the two sides have pushed political exchanges to a high level and deepened mutual trust and recognition of each other’s development path and international policies, said Sun Zhuangzhi, an expert on China-Russia relations at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi also expressed his confidence in China-Russia relations during a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, saying that the “sky’s the limit” for bilateral cooperation and the “China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is as stable as Mount Tai,” the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Trade and business exchanges between China and Russia have increased and expanded to more fields, including investment, innovation technologies and personnel and cultural exchanges, Sun told the Global Times.
“China and Russia also worked together on maintaining regional stability. The increasing exchanges in the military field would deepen mutual trust as well as deter forces that may threaten domestic and regional peace,” Sun said.
International influence
The China-Russia partnership, which differs from strategic alignment, has also influenced international relations, Sun said, adding that “China and Russia both oppose the Cold War mentality and power politics. Their opposition would promote the democratization of international relations.”
Gao said that China and Russia also need to work together to deal with more complicated international situations, especially as trade frictions between China and the US have escalated, political conflicts between Russia and Western countries have worsened, and new drastic changes have taken place in the Korean Peninsula.
“The future cooperation may focus more on fixing vulnerable cooperation areas, especially trade and business exchanges, which do not match the intimate political exchanges. It is significant for China and Russia to engage in trade cooperation, especially on energy,” Gao said.