Brief Introduction to Relations between China and Russia
( 2003-05-27 10:00 )

I. Review of Bilateral Relations

Date of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations: October 2, 1949

(At that time between the PRC and the USSR. After the Soviet Union was disintegrated, China and Russia signed on December 27, 1991 a summery of talks, by which the question of succession of the relations between China and Russia was solved.)

September 12, 1999, in Auckland, New Zealand, President Jiang Zemin met with Russian Prime Minister Putin on the sidelines of the Informal Leadership meeting of APEC. Putin expressed the willingness to expand economic cooperation and trade between the two countries and reiterated Russia's consistent one-China stand on the Taiwan question.

December 9-10, 1999, Russian President Yeltsin paid a visit to China and held the second informal summit with President Jiang Zemin. President Jiang held talks with President Yeltsin on two separate occasions. Chairman Li Peng and Premier Zhu Rongji met with President Yeltsin respectively. The leaders of the two countries had a wide exchange of views on bilateral relations and international issues of common concern and reached new consensus. The two sides issued a joint statement and joint communique. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed three inter-governmental agreements.

July 5, 2000, during the meeting of the heads of state of "Shanghai 5" in Dushanbe, President Jiang Zemin met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and invited him to breakfast. The two leaders exchanged views on extensive matters of common interest.

July 17-19, 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to China. During the visit, President Jiang Zemin held two rounds of talks with the Russian president, one with limited aides and the other with full entourage, and NPC Standing Committee Chairman Li Peng, Premier Zhu Rongji and the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Li Ruihuan met with the Russian president separately. The two heads of state signed together the Beijing Declaration of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, and the Joint Statement of the President of the People's Republic of China and the President of the Russian Federation on the Issue of Anti Ballistic Missiles. Seven inter-government and inter-department agreements were also signed.

September 6, 2000, President Jiang Zemin met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New York, where he was attending the UN Millennium Summit Conference, and the two leaders discussed matters mainly concerning Sino-Russian relations, international situation and etc.

November15, 2000, during his stay in Brunei to attend the eighth unofficial meeting of the leaders of APEC members, President Jiang Zemin held a meeting with President Vladimir Putin alone and the two leaders exchanged views mainly on matters of bilateral relations and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

From July 15 to 18, 2001, President Jiang Zemin paid a state visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin. President Jiang held talks with President Putin and met with Russian Prime Minister Kasyanov, Chairman Steloyev of the Federal Council and Chairman Sheleznikov of the State Duma. The two heads of state signed the Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation. They issued the Moscow Joint Statement of the Heads of State of China and Russia. President Jiang also visited Volgograd.

On October 20, 2001, President Jiang Zemin met with President Putin in Shanghai who was participating in the informal meeting of APEC heads of state. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international issues of common interest.

From October 27 to 28, 2001, Vice President Hu Jintao paid a working visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin. The two sides mainly had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international issues of common interest.

On January 7, 2002, President Jiang Zemin met with Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov who came to China to participate in the non-routine meeting of the foreign ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

On June 7, 2002, President Jiang Zemin met with Russian President Putin during his participation in the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The two sides had an exchange of views on bilateral relations and international issues of common interest.

II. On the Boundary Question

The total length of the Sino-Russian boundary line is about 4,370 kilometers, of which the eastern section is about 4,320 kilometers and the western section about 54 kilometers. There exists the boundary question between the two countries left over from history. Based on the treaties concerning the present boundary between the two countries, in accordance with the recognized norms of international law and in the spirit of equal consultation and mutual understanding and accommodation, the two sides, after years of negotiations, have delimited 97% of the alignment of the boundary line and signed the Agreement on the Eastern Section of the Boundary Between China and Russia and the Agreement on the Western Section of the Boundary Between China and Russia on May 16, 1991 and September 3, 1994 respectively. On December 9, 1999 China and Russia signed the Protocol on Delineation of the Eastern Section of the Boundary Line Between China and Russia and the Protocol on Delineation of the Western Section of the Boundary Line Between China and Russia. The signing of the above-mentioned documents and the successful conclusion of the boundary demarcation work marks the formal confirmation in legal form of the sections of the boundary that have been agreed upon by China and Russia through consultation, and for the first time in the history of relations between the two countries the agreed-upon boundary line has been accurately staked of on the spot.

At present, the alignment of the boundary line in the areas of the Heixiazi Island and the Abagaitu Islet in the eastern section of the Sino-Russian boundary has not yet been delimited and the two sides are continuing negotiation for settlement.

(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China )