Russian and China will continue to develop international transportation routes by using the potential of Baikal-Amour and Trans-Siberian Railways as well as the North Maritime Route.
by Levan Dzhagaryan
Russia-China relations have reached the highest level in its history and continue to develop steadily. These relations greatly surpass the Cold War time military-political alliances. They are not institutionalized as a formal block with the differentiation of leader and the followers. The bilateral dialogue is based on trust, there is no abandoned issues to discuss.
During the visit of President Xi Jinping the number of documents on boosting bilateral cooperation were signed. The aim is to increase the volume of goods and services exchange, deepen ties in 8 strategic directions, first of all, in finances, industrial technologies and transport logistics. Common approaches of Russia and China are fixed in the Mutual Declaration on deepening relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction in the new coming era. Implementation of the Economic cooperation development plan up to the year 2030 will help to strengthen the material base of the mentioned declaration.
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| Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects the honor guard of the three services and watches the march-past at the Moscow Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Russia, March 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) |
During the talks on the highest level it was stated that despite the global political and economic turbulence bilateral trade and economic relations are successfully demonstrating positive dynamics. China is strengthening its position as the biggest Russian external trade partner. In 2022 a new record in the volume of mutual trade was fixed, turnover figures are 185 bln US dollars (+30%). In 2023 the Sides are planning to increase it to 200 bln US dollars.
Cooperation in the energy sphere is of strategic nature for both countries. The Russian Side successfully assists the Chinese Side in construction works on the 7th and 8th blocks of the Nuclear Power Plant “Tianwan” as well as 3rd and 4th blocks of Nuclear Power Plant “Xudapu”. Two atomic energy boards signed a long-term agreement on cooperation. Supplies of the coal, natural gas and oil are also increasing significantly.
Two countries attached important attention on establishing the independent financial infrastructure, agreed on widening the usage of mutual settlements in the national currency. Russian Rouble and PRC Yuan are used in 65% of trade deals, and this figure will increase. It is done to secure the trade from the sanctioning by the third parties, while the global forex exchange market is volatile. The interest in using PRC Yuan as the currency in settlements with the other countries was also demonstrated.
Russian and China will continue to develop international transportation routes by using the potential of Baikal-Amour and Trans-Siberian Railways as well as the North Maritime Route.
The issues of the bilateral cooperation in space technologies were reviewed, such as satellite navigation, Lunar program and remote scanning of the Earth. Russian and China also discussed strengthening of the bilateral industry cooperation, vehicle, vessel and aircraft construction and other knowledge-intensive businesses.
While discussing the international and regional problems the two Presidents stated that their principal approaches and evaluations are close to each other. The leaders stressed the increase of tensions in the World, accumulation of the crisis and conflict potentials in global politics and economy, widening practice of illegal politically-motivated sanctions and their usage as a tool of unjust competition.
Ukrainian issue occupied a special place in the discussion. The sides discussed the role of USA and its satellites in waging the conflict. The issue of relations between Moscow, Beijing and Washington in general was also reviewed. President Xi expressed understanding of the reasons of conflict, conviction in rightness of the Russian Side and noted a superiority of the Russian forces over the enemy. He also shared the analyses of the provocative behavior of the US in Taiwan.
Views of Russian and China on the Washington-inspired so-called Indo-Pacific strategy, establishing Asian clone of NATO, plans of weapons deployment in the frames of AUKUS are of consensus also for both sides.
The Sides discussed the questions of cooperation in UN, SCO, BRICS and G20, stated their readiness to continue working on connecting integration within the EAEU and Chinese initiative “One belt, one road”.
Vladimir Putin congratulated Xi Jinping on the diplomacy success in the normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, underlined the importance of conciliation of the Leaders of Sunni and Shia Muslims.
This meeting and talks is a outstanding geopolitical event in the process of dismantling of the unipolar World order, building more just and democratic system of international relations based on Law, unlike the Western approach to impose certain random “rules”. Russia-China relations are the key to the regional and global stability, sample of mutually beneficial equal cooperation between the Great Powers.
Levan Dzhagaryan is the Ambassador of Russia to Sri Lanka
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