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Against the backdrop of international changes, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin pledged to enhance strategic cooperation between the two countries at their Friday video conference. The talk shows the China-Russia relationship is growing in importance as a stabilizing factor in the world and a positive example of major-country relations featuring peaceful coexistence, overall stability and balanced development.

As the world is at the crossroads of history, China and Russia are committed to driving the world toward a more just and multipolar global order.

The deepening of ties comes amid the intensified attacks by the United States against countries not of its "like-minded" catalogue. Repeatedly labelling Beijing and Moscow as threats, Washington, under the Cold War mentality, has been sparing no effort in stoking divisions and confrontation against the two countries. Going back to another Cold War or embracing mutually beneficial major-country relations is a choice that politicians have to make for the future of all mankind.

China and Russia, by advocating true multilateralism, upholding the UN authority, and shouldering their due responsibilities on global affairs, have made their choice. A continuous advance in Beijing-Moscow relations, following Xi's meeting with Putin in Uzbekistan in September and with Chairman of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev this month, is expected to hugely impact the reshaping of the global patterns in the face of the changes of the world.

As Xi and Putin pledged on Friday, the two countries will continue to enhance coordination on matters concerning their core interests under multilateral frameworks including the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Unlike certain countries reaping selfish gains at the sacrifice of others, China and Russia are dedicated to promoting solidarity, expanding practical cooperation and safeguarding the common interests of developing countries and emerging markets.

However, some Western media outlets assert that geopolitics plays a dominant role in China's handling its ties with Russia, and the Kremlin is attempting to woo Beijing's support on its special military operation in Ukraine. It must be stressed that the Chinese government is independently dealing with major-country relations and will not be influenced by other states. The Chinese government, as Xi stressed in his talk with Putin, will continue to uphold its objective and fair stance on the issue. This is for regional peace and stability, not out of selfish geopolitical calculations.

The Beijing-Moscow relationship is an embodiment of the basic principles of building major-country diplomacy, and the practical cooperation between the two countries is for the common good of the world. For instance, the accumulative trade between China and Russia reached $153.94 billion in the first 10 months of this year, growing 33 percent year-on-year. Against the backdrop of slowing economy in the post-COVID era, a boost in China-Russia trade will benefit not only people from the two countries, but also the entire world in the times of global integration.

Containment and confrontation have no place in an era that calls for and values cooperation. Major-country diplomacy, with the China-Russia relationship as a typical embodiment, is the way forward to build a multipolar world.

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