Published on: 2026-07-17
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Beijing, July 17 /Xinhua/ — This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia partnership and strategic cooperation relationship, as well as the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the PRC and the Russian Federation.
In May of this year, China and Russia agreed once again to extend the validity of this Treaty, sending a positive signal to the world that they continue to deepen political mutual trust and strategic cooperation, elevating bilateral relations to a higher and higher-quality level of development.
25 years ago, China and Russia signed a Treaty, legally establishing the institutional foundation for long-term good-neighborliness, friendship, and comprehensive strategic interaction. Since then, bilateral relations have made a leap forward in development.
“The significance of this Treaty goes far beyond a usual bilateral document. Over the past 25 years, it has become the legal and political foundation of Russian-Chinese relations, solidifying their long-term, stable, and predictable nature,” noted Marina Dmitrieva, Deputy Director for Science and Innovation of the Far Eastern Institute of the Far Eastern Federal University /FEFU/ of Russia.
According to her, the extension of this Agreement is a signal to the international community that Russia and China consider their partnership as a long-term factor of stability. At a time when the global system is experiencing serious turbulence, such continuity has independent significance.
The fundamental principles of bilateral cooperation enshrined in this Treaty have stood the test of time and to this day retain their important practical significance.
The Director of the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Sun Zhuangzhi, noted that some key provisions enshrined in this Treaty, in particular the renunciation of establishing allied relations, confrontation, and non-targeting against third parties, as well as the main directions and principles of trade and economic cooperation, have not lost their relevance to this day. Being an institutional achievement in the development of partnership relations and strategic interaction between the two countries, the Treaty continues to play a positive role.
In recent years, cooperation between China and Russia in various fields has become increasingly deep and practical. The continuous strengthening of comprehensive cooperation provides a strong impetus for the long-term, healthy, stable, and high-quality development of bilateral relations.
Trade volume between the two countries has exceeded 200 billion USD for three consecutive years. Cooperation is actively developing in new areas such as artificial intelligence, “green” and low-carbon production, and biotechnology, which indicates a solid foundation and enormous potential for China-Russia collaboration.
“Economic cooperation between Russia and China is gradually becoming not just trade in goods, but an element of broader Eurasian connectivity,” emphasized Marina Dmitrieva.
In her view, the stable achievement of a trade turnover between Russia and China reaching 200 billion US dollars over several years indicates not only quantitative growth but also a qualitative change in the structure of relations.
Interstate relations are based on friendly relations between peoples. As Sino-Russian relations develop at a high level, humanitarian exchanges between the two countries become increasingly close, and mutual understanding between the peoples becomes ever stronger.
The holding of reciprocal Years has become a good tradition in the field of humanitarian exchanges between China and Russia, as well as a distinctive feature and a bright moment in the history of the development of bilateral relations.
The years 2026-2027 are the reciprocal Years of Education between China and Russia. According to data, currently more than 60,000 Chinese students are studying in Russia, and over 20,000 Russian students are studying in China. The number of Russian citizens studying the Chinese language is growing every year and currently exceeds 100,000 people.
“It is precisely humanitarian ties that make the Russian-Chinese partnership sustainable not only at the level of leaders and agencies but also at the level of societies. And this is perhaps the main foundation of long-term good-neighborly policy,” said Marina Dmitrieva.
Against the backdrop of the current global situation, long-term, healthy, stable, and high-quality China-Russia relations will also bring even more benefits to the entire world.
For many years, both countries have made important contributions to upholding international impartiality and justice, as well as promoting the formation of a new type of international relations, becoming a key constant amid profound global changes unseen in a century.
According to Sun Zhuangzhi, Sino-Russian relations are among the most important relationships between great powers in the world, and moreover, China and Russia are permanent members of the UN Security Council. Their cooperation and interaction, on the one hand, are constantly in the spotlight of the international community, and on the other hand, positively influence peace, security, and development in the region.
The director of the Institute of Eurasian Studies of the Chinese Academy of International Studies, Li Zigo, stated that China and Russia bear a great historical responsibility for peace and development worldwide. Strengthening strategic interaction between them plays an indispensable role in promoting the formation of a more just and rational system of global governance.
There are every reason to be convinced that at the new stage China and Russia, following the current trends of the era – peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit – will elevate bilateral relations to a higher-quality level of development, which will inevitably bring even more benefits to the peoples of both countries as well as to all states of the world.
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