Xi's upcoming visit to deepen China-Russia ties, bolster global peace

BEIJING -- At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from Wednesday to Saturday and attend in Moscow the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.

More than 80 years ago, the peoples of China, the Soviet Union and other countries fought side by side and secured victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, opening a new chapter in human history.

As the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, the international community demands greater global efforts to face common challenges, and to build a community with a shared future.

Xi's upcoming visit is expected to inject new momentum into the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Moreover, it will demonstrate the two major countries' commitment to working with the rest of the world to safeguard the outcomes of the victory in World War II, uphold international fairness and justice, and maintain world peace and stability.

LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIP

History and reality show that China and Russia are good neighbors that cannot be moved away, and true friends who share weal and woe, support each other and achieve common development, Xi said in his phone conversation with Putin in February.

The coming visit marks Xi's 11th trip to Russia since he became Chinese president. The two heads of state have met more than 40 times on different occasions over the years. Their close communication provides strategic guidance, under which China-Russia relations have matured into a resilient and stable partnership characterized by deepening political trust, closer strategic alignment and sustained practical cooperation.

In 2024, bilateral trade rose to $244.8 billion, making China the largest trading partner of Russia for 15 consecutive years. In December 2024, the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline was fully completed. Cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, e-commerce, bio-medicine, scientific and technological innovation, as well as green energy continues to expand.

The two countries' long-lasting friendship has grown increasingly popular among the two peoples. The mutual visa exemption agreement for group tours has encouraged more robust two-way travel. Hundreds of cultural events have been held in succession with the framework of the China-Russia Year of Culture.

Andrey Denisov, first deputy chair of Russia's Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Russian ambassador to China, said the strategic guidance of the two heads of state is a key factor in ensuring the steady and long-term development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

The two leaders are expected to hold extensive and in-depth discussions on both bilateral cooperation and multilateral issues, and the Russian side has high expectations for that, he added.

INDELIBLE CONTRIBUTION

Over 80 years ago, China and Russia, as the main battlefields in Asia and Europe during World War II, made tremendous sacrifices and indelible contribution to the final victory.

In a signed article published by the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his visit to Russia in 2015, Xi quoted Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky as saying, "If we lost the memory of our past, our mind and soul would be lost in the darkness," in a bid to express his remembrance of the history of the World Anti-Fascist War and earnest expectations for the two nations to join hands to maintain world peace and stability.

The bitter lessons drawn from World War II have taught mankind that the strong preying on the weak, the law of the jungle, warlike or hegemonic policies, the winner-takes-all mindset and zero-sum game do not benefit coexistence, peace or development of mankind, Xi wrote in the article.

Noha Bakir, a professor of political science at American University in Cairo, said China and Russia, drawing lessons from history, shoulder the important responsibility of safeguarding international stability and cooperation amid today's complex global landscape.

By studying, restoring and spreading the true history, people can better understand World War II and the post-war international order, thus they will resist the attempts to distort historical facts, he added.

Andrey Fesyun, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, said that under the guidance of the two heads of state, China and Russia will further jointly advocate the correct historical view of World War II, and work together to maintain global strategic stability, so as to make the due contributions of responsible major countries to the advancement of international fairness and justice.

SPEARHEADING PROGRESS

Eighty years ago, representatives from multiple countries, including China and the Soviet Union, gathered in the U.S. city of San Francisco, and signed the Charter of the United Nations, laying the cornerstone of the post-war international order.

The preamble to the charter solemnly states the commitment "to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security."

China and Russia have natural responsibilities to make joint efforts to steer and promote global governance in a direction that meets the expectations of the international community and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi when meeting with Putin in March 2023. And it was during Xi's first visit to Russia in 2013 as Chinese president that he first proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries in the world, China and Russia have been working closely on the world stage. Beijing and Moscow firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, as well as the fundamental norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. They are also advocates of true multilateralism.

The two nations have also joined hands to promote political solutions to international and regional hot-spot issues. They have strengthened communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS and the Group of 20, and are jointly committed to advancing a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations.

Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan scholar on international relations, said that China and Russia collaborate through platforms like the SCO and BRICS, which has not only promoted a multipolar world, but also empowered the Global South with a greater voice in global governance and a bigger role in shaping the rules on major international issues.

Ilgar Velizade, head of the South Caucasus Club of Political Scientists from Azerbaijan, said that the growing strength of multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the SCO and BRICS represents a powerful embodiment of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

If countries engage in an active, constructive and sustainable dialogue focused on common interests, the world will be safer, the global economy more sustainable and humanity's future far more promising, he said.