China, Russia to boost all-round cooperation

China and Russia will boost all-round cooperation with exploration in emerging fields and bilateral ties will not be weakened by the sanctions and containment imposed by the US and its allies, Chinese analysts said on Thursday after the two countries signed a joint communique of the 29th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government and a new version of the outline of the China-Russia investment cooperation plan.

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday voiced China's readiness to work with Russia to strengthen all-round cooperation to lift the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era to a new level, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Li made the remarks when co-chairing the 29th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. In the joint communique issued Wednesday, the two sides agreed that joint efforts will be made to optimize trade structure, create new growth points for the two countries' economies and trade, and promote the development of e-commerce, Xinhua reported.

With 2024 and 2025 designated as the China-Russia Years of Culture, the two sides also agreed to take it as an opportunity to deepen people-to-people exchanges, consolidate popular support for friendship, constantly strengthen the internal driving force of bilateral cooperation, and improve the quality of cooperation.

According to the text of the joint communique released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two countries will boost all-round cooperation in many fields, and in addition to traditional areas like trade, investment, finance and energy, it also includes pragmatic cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, cybersecurity, and aerospace cooperation.

Yang Jin, an associate research fellow with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the joint statement shows that China and Russia will keep deepening and expanding their pragmatic cooperation regardless of the impact and pressure from the US and its allies, and it's a certainty that China-Russia relations will keep developing to reach new heights in the future. 

Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, said that apart from planning for pragmatic cooperation, the two countries are also looking forward to solving the problem caused by the blockade, isolation, long-arm jurisdiction and sanctions imposed by the US and some of its allies, which are attempting to contain the rightful development of China and Russia.

"China and Russia will explore new trade routes and improve the interconnectivity on trade ports; the two sides also agree to jointly develop AI and boost cooperation among BRICS members to strengthen connections between industries among the emerging economies," Cui noted.