Expert: Xi-Putin meeting in Beijing sets tone for development of ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era between the two countries on the occasion of 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Speaking at a joint conference on Thursday, President Xi said the China-Russia relationship has grown stronger amidst wind and rain over the past 75 years and the relationship has become a prime example of a new form of international relations as well as good-neighborly relations between two major countries.

Setting tone for ties to develop in next six years

Putin's visit to China marks his first foreign visit since being sworn in as president earlier this month. In March 2023, Xi chose Russia as his first foreign destination after his re-election as president of the People's Republic of China.

When Xi visited Moscow, he described a "new era" in China-Russia relations, and in October, as Putin last visited Beijing, Xi spoke of the "deep friendship" between them.

Before the two-day visit, Putin said his choice of China as his first foreign destination underlined the "unprecedented level of the strategic partnership" between the two countries.

In Thursday's meeting, as Xi and Putin outlined the successful experience in developing bilateral ties over the past decades, Xi said that he believes the two sides should take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties as a new starting point, further synergize development strategies and continue to enrich bilateral cooperation.

"Head-of-state diplomacy plays an important role in guiding and promoting the development of China-Russia relations," Wei Jinshen, a Russian studies expert and associate professor at School of Politics and International Relations of China's Lanzhou University, said in an interview with China Business Network.

Wei said the two presidents' meetings in Beijing will set the tone for China-Russia ties to move forward in the next six years and ensure the sustained high-level development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.

Growing pragmatic cooperation 

Putin's visit to China came as trade and economic relations between the two countries are developing at a fast pace.

Last year, the two-way trade reached a record $240.1 billion. The first quarter of 2024 saw that positive trend continue, with bilateral trade amounting to $56.68 billion, a year on year increase of 5.2 percent.

During Putin's visit, China and Russia signed more than 10 key cooperation documents. Putin also attended the ongoing eighth China-Russia Expo in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The expo showcases more than 5,000 products in over 20 major categories from 10 sectors. It has attracted 16 Russian regions to participate and 25 regions have sent delegations to come, presenting local economic potential and willingness to carry out cooperation at subnational levels.

Wei noted that local cooperation is a strong engine for promoting the continuous development of bilateral economic and trade relations between China and Russia. "The deepening of local synergy has contributed to the rapid growth of two-way trade, which is an important manifestation of the growing pragmatic cooperation between the two countries."

Besides for the economy, China and Russia are also expanding people-to-people and cultural ties.

Xi and Putin set 2024 and 2025 as China-Russia Years of Culture and attended its opening ceremony on Thursday.

According to the Russian Union of Tourism, the number of foreigners visiting Russia more than tripled in 2023, from 187,000 to 600,000, with majority being Chinese tourists.