As 2021 draws to a close, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sat in front of the screen again on the 15th to open the second video meeting of the year.
This is the 37th meeting between the two heads of state since 2013. During the phone call of about one and a half hours, the two sides summed up the achievements made in Sino-Russian relations over the past year, looked forward to the development direction of bilateral relations next year, and exchanged views on the current international situation.
"Cloud Diplomacy" Again
Tass said that at the beginning of the talks, the two fuehrers appeared in front of the camera smiling. Putin sat at his desk with a paper manuscript in hand, addressed president Xi as "dear friend" and waved to him. China's leaders responded with the same gesture and bright smile, calling Putin an "old friend."
President Xi Jinping pointed out that President Putin has praised China-Russia relations on many occasions as "a model of inter-state cooperation in the 21st century" and firmly supports China in defending its core interests and opposing attempts to alienate China and Russia.
President Xi also talked about the progress of China-Russia relations this year: the two countries announced the extension of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation and gave it a new connotation of the times, and firmly supported each other on issues involving each other's core interests. Bilateral trade volume exceeded the $100 billion mark for the first time in the first three quarters, and is expected to reach a new high throughout the year, and so on.
President Xi Jinping shared his views on the world pattern with Putin, pointing out that the world has entered a period of turbulent change and change due to the intertwined impact of the century-old changes and the epidemic of the century. China and Russia have actively demonstrated their responsibility as major countries, united the international community to fight the epidemic, expounded the correct connotation of democracy and human rights, and become the mainstay of practicing true multilateralism and safeguarding international fairness and justice.
President Xi Jinping pointed out that at present, under the guise of "democracy" and "human rights", certain forces in the international community are interfering in the internal affairs of China and Russia, and have grossly trampled on international law and universally recognized norms governing international relations. China and Russia should carry out more joint actions to more effectively safeguard the security interests of both sides.
Putin also positively evaluated the achievements of the two countries in the political, economic and anti-epidemic aspects, and looked forward to attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in China next February and meeting with President Xi. Putin also said that the two countries will support each other and jointly oppose any attempt to politicize sports. President Xi responded by looking forward to meeting Putin next year.
Putin said that the Russian side will most firmly support the Chinese Government's legitimate stand on Taiwan-related issues and resolutely oppose the formation of any form of "small circle" in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ushakov, assistant to the Russian president on international affairs, said that the talks between the two leaders were very positive, lasting about an hour and a half, and involved all bilateral relations and important issues on the international agenda.
Russian media such as the "Lianta Network" pointed out that the 37 meetings between the heads of state of China and Russia in the past 8 years have witnessed the frequency and depth of high-level exchanges between China and Russia. Even during the special period of the epidemic, the two heads of state continued to maintain the rhythm of communication through online communication, and interacted in May, June and August this year. Towards the end of the year, President Xi jinping and Putin once again launched "cloud diplomacy", indicating that both sides hope to inject more stability into a world that has entered a period of turbulent change.
"Back-to-back" collaboration
"It is very necessary for China and Russia to have a timely strategic confrontation." Li Yongquan, distinguished professor of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and president of the Russian Society for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in China, pointed out that this year is a particularly important year for Sino-Russian relations, and the two heads of state also mentioned the great significance of the extension of the "Sino-Russian Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation" during the video meeting. This is not only a summary of the historical experience of Sino-Russian relations, but also in line with the international trend in the new situation, and the extension of the Treaty has opened a new starting point for the future development of Sino-Russian relations.
Li Yongquan said that at the "Xi Jinping Meeting," the leaders of the two countries also mentioned that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era is a model for major country cooperation in the 21 st century, which is also out of the common understanding and positioning of the head of state on Sino-Russian relations.
"The century-old changes and the century epidemic have superimposed resonance, and the world is facing various traditional and non-traditional security challenges, and all countries should have responded to them together." But the current international environment is very complex. Some countries wield the stick of sanctions, dividing the world and running counter to the international trend. Li Yongquan said, "And China-Russia relations are to respond to changes with no change, and what remains unchanged is the nature of Sino-Russian relations, that is, non-alignment, non-confrontation, and no targeting of third parties, always respecting each other's core interests and taking care of each other's reasonable concerns." Only in this way can we inject valuable stability into the complicated international situation and ensure more guarantees for world peace and development. ”
Li Xin, director of the Institute of Eurasian Studies at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said that the head of state's leadership has always been the fundamental guarantee and the biggest advantage for the sustained high-level operation of Sino-Russian relations. This time, the two sides are strengthening policy communication and coordination in the context of uncertain changes in the international situation and the intensification of geopolitical competition, so as to set the tone and guide the way for Sino-Russian relations.
Li Xin noted that during the video meeting, the Leaders of China and Russia listed many of the progress made in bilateral relations this year. Russia's "Kommers" commented that this year can be described as a bumper diplomatic year for Sino-Russian relations, "both countries will regard each other as a reliable rear and promote 'back-to-back' strategic coordination." ”
In terms of political cooperation, there are many "important plays" - in addition to the extension of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, the two countries have also summed up the 20 years of growth experience of the SCO within the framework of the SCO and actively coordinated on issues such as regional security and expansion. The strategic tacit understanding between China and Russia is also reflected in mutual cooperation on major issues, such as jointly countering the "presumption of guilt" of tracing the source of the new crown; the two ambassadors to the United States jointly wrote an article condemning the United States for holding a "democracy summit" to incite ideological confrontation, and so on.
Economic cooperation is also remarkable – in addition to the "report card" of bilateral economic and trade volume mentioned by the two leaders, the energy partnership between the two countries has continued to deepen, and the five major cooperation sectors of oil, gas, coal, electricity and nuclear power have gone hand in hand. Under the background of the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation, the scientific and technological content of Sino-Russian cooperation has also increased significantly, and major cooperation projects have been promoted in an orderly manner, injecting stronger impetus into Sino-Russian relations.
Li Xin pointed out that all kinds of achievements have fully demonstrated the vitality of pragmatic cooperation in Sino-Russian relations. In their speeches, the two leaders' outlook for Sino-Russian relations next year has also made the outside world highly anticipated.
On the political front, the "Beijing Pact" in February next year will undoubtedly attract the most attention and will be the first offline meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of state since the epidemic. Li Xin pointed out that Putin is willing to accept the invitation to come to China at a time when the global epidemic is still repeated, which fully shows that Sino-Russian relations are "extraordinary". Against the backdrop of diplomatic boycotts by some countries from the Beijing Winter Olympics, the move was also seen as significant political support.
Another highlight is that next year, China will assume the presidency of the BRICS countries and host the 14th leaders' meeting and other activities. Li Xin pointed out that China and Russia should join hands to counter the Western rhetoric of singing the praises of the "BRICS", advocate genuine multilateralism, expand the scope of benefits of cooperation and deepen South-South cooperation by expanding the "BRICS +" model.
In terms of economy, China and Russia have formulated and completed the "Roadmap for the High-quality Development of Sino-Russian Trade in Goods and Trade in Services" to achieve the goal of US$200 billion in trade between the two countries. Li Xin believes that if we want to achieve the goal of 200 billion US dollars by 2024, there are two focus points, one is that China and Russia export high-value-added products such as cutting-edge technology to each other, and the other is to deepen investment cooperation. At present, the two countries are studying the feasibility of upgrading the Sino-Russian investment treaty, and if they can align with higher standards such as the China-EU investment agreement, they are expected to provide better institutional arrangements.
In his speech, President Xi Also mentioned that the Communist Party of China will convene the 20th National Congress next year, and Russia will enter a critical period of implementing the National Development Goals by 2030. Li Xin pointed out that the two sides will strengthen strategic docking, in addition to consolidating traditional energy cooperation, strategic large projects, financial cooperation, industrial chain cooperation, big data and artificial intelligence and other frontier areas, will also tap the potential.
In terms of humanities, both leaders mentioned that China and Russia will hold a year of sports exchanges in the next two years. Taking the Year of Sports Exchanges as an opportunity, China and Russia will consolidate the public opinion foundation for friendship between the two countries and promote the deepening of cooperation in pragmatic fields.
Promoting "True Multilateralism" Together
The outside world has noted that the "Xi Jinping Meeting" was also held under the pressure of China and Russia in the face of the West led by the United States. Russia's relations with the West continue to be tense due to the situation in Ukraine, and Sino-US relations have also experienced twists and turns. TASS pointed out that the meeting between the leaders of the two countries involves both bilateral agendas and responds to the belligerent rhetoric of the United States and NATO at a time when the situation in the region is heating up.
Li Yongquan pointed out that China, Russia and the United States have different understandings of world development trends and major issues. If the world can build a new type of international relations in accordance with the development model of Sino-Russian relations, it will obviously be conducive to the unity of all countries to cope with various global difficulties and challenges. Because of their domestic problems, some countries have provoked competition by passing on contradictions and engaged in "small circles" to create divisions. This is also why China and Russia should advocate and practice genuine multilateralism and safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law.
Li Xin believes that the multipolarization of the world and the democratization of international relations are irresistible trends of the times. The practice of drawing ideological lines will only increase division and confrontation, so that some countries that aspire to peaceful development will face pressure to choose sides, which is not conducive to promoting the global governance system. Li Xin expects that next year's "Xi Jinping Popularization Meeting" will issue a joint statement on views on the international situation.
The Russian media pointed out that some countries have not abandoned the idea of camp confrontation during the Cold War and are still constantly pulling gangs. What can follow may be dangerous geopolitical stalemate, high-risk policies, or even reckless military action with unimaginable consequences. In the context of the profound adjustment of major country relations, all parties should increase trust and dispel doubts through dialogue, manage differences, and inject stable expectations into the world.
(Edit email: [email protected])
Column Editor-in-Chief: Yang Liqun Text Editor: Yang Liqun Caption Source: Zhu Xuan Photography Photo Editor: Xu Jiamin
Source: Author: Zhang Quan
![Russia's losses are too fatal, the United States organized a "summit", people's hearts are scattered, and the little brothers tear each other apart[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)