The past 30 years have seen smooth sailing for China-Russia relations, with major achievements in all areas. Currently, Sino-Russian relations are said to be "enjoying their best time in history "and "an example of a new type of major country relations". In a world marked by frequent conflicts, brewing geopolitical tensions, shrinking space for constructive cooperation and rising economic protectionism, China and Russia are setting a good example for bilateral relations as the two countries strive to build a new type of international relations based on mutual trust, equity, justice and win-win cooperation to forge a community of common future.

Mutual respect and equality are the defining characteristics of the Sino-Russian partnership of strategic coordination, which sets an example for the rest of the world in a variety of ways.

First, Sino-Russian relations are playing a greater role in their respective foreign policy strategies. The relationship has grown in three phases, from first recognizing each other as friendly countries to signing a constructive partnership agreement before upgrading to a partnership of strategic coordination. The upward trajectory testifies to the vitality of relations. In June 2011, Sino-Russian ties became a "comprehensive strategic partnership centered on equality, mutual trust, mutual support, common prosperity and lasting friendship". In May 2014, ties formally entered a "new phase". And with President Xi Jinping's visit to Russian in June 2019, the two countries made a joint announcement to implement a "China-Russia Comprehensive Partnership of Strategic Coordination for a New Era".

Second, the two countries have established regular high-level meetings. The heads of state have built a close relations over the years: China is the first state that a new Russian president visits after assuming office, and vice versa. The heads of state, government and legislature of the two countries meet regularly. The subcommittees and working groups in the framework of premier-level regular meetings are growing in number, with increasing coverage extending to practically all areas of Sino-Russian cooperation. Together, they are currently the bilateral meeting and exchange arrangement that China has at the highest level, with the largest number of government agencies involved and the most expansive coverage. Such a cooperation mechanism is unique for China in terms of its comprehensiveness, and is also rare in the world.

In addition, the Sino-Russian partnership of strategic coordination became legally confirmed with the signing of the Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation in 2001. China and Russia cemented their consensus on the delineation of their 4,350 kilometer border with the signing of the Supplementary Agreement on the Eastern Section of the China-Russia Boundary Line in 2004, which, together with the Sino-Soviet Border Agreement on the Eastern Section of the Boundary and the Sino-Russian Agreement on the Western Section of the Boundary, paved the way for a lasting friendship. The definitive delineation of the border cleared all pending political issues between the two countries.

Sino-Russian relations set an example in many other ways. For example, both countries have opted for a new approach to security focused on mutual trust and benefit, equality, cooperation and achieving common and equal security through trust building. Their partnership of strategic coordination does not target any third country and nor does it constitute a threat to any other country.

To put into practice the "new type of major country relations" that have been proposed, the two countries should work on the following aspects:

First, they need to keep their shared commitment to common development and expand the opportunities for economic cooperation. There is a lot that can be done in stepping up investment and industrial cooperation between the two countries. In 2018, bilateral trade exceeded $100 billion for the first time. Having said that, we should also bear in mind that most of the cooperation so far, whether in terms of trade structure or economic collaboration, has taken place in trade in final goods, energy and raw materials. Despite fast growth in trade in intermediary goods and services as well as the digital economy and e-commerce, these sectors are relatively insignificant in terms of the total volume and share of total trade by value. These four sectors are, nevertheless, the most promising areas where cooperation can be stepped up.

There is great potential in Sino-Russian cooperation in energy. And energy cooperation could play a big role in stabilizing the international energy market and promoting economic development and security in both countries.

Likewise, a promising future awaits Sino-Russian cooperation in science and technology. Russia has already carved out a unique path of innovation in science and technology, with considerable potential and robust innovation capacity. Meanwhile, China has also become an internationally competitive innovator. The two countries' cooperation in science and technology is not yet commensurate with their respective innovation capacities in innovation, and there is still potential for furthering cooperation in this regard that would achieve tangible deliverables.

Additionally, they could expedite talks in trade and investment facilitation within the framework of the Eurasian partnership to clarify the goals and prospects of long-term collaboration and work out the details for each area. For Russia, the focus of the partnership is also to promote trade facilitation, starting with streamlining and homogenizing rules and standards for industrial cooperation, investment and non-tariff measures to pave the way for the gradual elimination of tariffs. The partnership will contribute positively to the rapid development of Sino-Russian ties, from doing away with trade barriers to potentially enabling a free trade area.

In conclusion, with their solid foundation, mature institutions and mechanisms, the Sino-Russian comprehensive partnership of strategic coordination will continue to play a positive role in regional and global affairs.

The author is the director and a research fellow at the Center for Russian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.

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