China Perspective

Sino-Russian relations key to peace, security

By Qin Jize and Ma Liyao (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-26 08:16

BEIJING - Trade between China and Russia is becoming increasingly interdependent, but the two still need to do more to promote sustainable global development, experts said.

Global economy experts from the two countries took part in a videoconference on Tuesday to discuss Sino-Russian cooperation in the post-financial crisis era.

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Meanwhile, China and Russia held their fifth round of strategic security talks in Moscow on Monday, led by State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. The two countries acknowledged that in order to enhance strategic mutual trust and improve the global security situation, the two sides should chart the development of Sino-Russian relations for the next 10 years from a strategic perspective.

As Dai's trip came just days after President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States, it is widely believed that he talked with Russian officials about the results of Hu's visit.

Analysts say Sino-US relations will affect the layout of world politics and that Russia is willing to see stronger Sino-US ties, which will help stabilize its own relationship with Washington.

"Better Sino-US ties would not overshadow China-Russia ties, but bring a more balanced relationship among big powers, said Cui Hongjian, a senior researcher with the China Institute of International Studies. The strategic talks also agreed that close cooperation between China and Russia on global issues has helped maintain regional and world peace, security and stability.

The videoconference between Chinese and Russian economists echoed the view. The experts said that the two countries could enhance their cooperation in the framework of multilateral forums, such as the G20, to build a more balanced world financial system.

"The US debt crisis is becoming an international problem, requiring countries to cooperate in the more equal and mutually beneficial platform of the G20," said Chen Fengying, director of the Institute of World Economic Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

She said that although there are still problems with China-Russia economic cooperation, the two share extensive common interests.

Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported on Tuesday that the Chinese-language website of the governor of the Russian state of Chelyabinsk went online "to improve economic and trade cooperation with China and attract more investment".

Tian Chunsheng, who also took part in the videoconference, said that China and other emerging economies should be the third pole of the tripolar international system, to form a balanced global economic framework with the first pole being the US and the second the European Union.