Major strategic projects provide strong support for China-Russia cooperation

BEIJING-- China and Russia have actively promoted pragmatic cooperation in various fields, especially achieving deals on many strategic programs, whose implementation keeps lifting bilateral cooperation to higher levels.

During Premier Li Keqiang's official visit to the northern neighbor this month, where he also attended the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting, the two sides vowed to enhance pragmatic cooperation between them, and align the Belt and Road Initiative of China and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) with each other.

The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The EEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

As Chinese ambassador to Russia Li Hui said, China-Russia pragmatic cooperation, featuring characters of strategy, stability and long-term, is a strong engine and solid foundation for promoting bilateral relationship, and goes in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries.

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT

The alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the EEU is in practical implementation of plans for jointly building an innovative, open, coherent and inclusive global economy, and will add new vigor and vitality into each other's development, revitalization, and economic transformation and upgrade.

In a recent meeting of the EEU, all five members expressed support for carrying out cooperation with China within the framework of construction of the Belt.

The Chinese ambassador to Russia said the integration is meant to unlock the potential of economic complementarity between China and Russia, and contribute to the economic recovery of the EEU member states as well as the countries along the ancient Silk Road and across Eurasia.

Sergey Sanakoev, president of the Russian-Chinese Analytical Center, said the pairing of the EEU and the China's Belt and Road Initiative "means that our countries are ready to develop transport infrastructure in the vast territory of Eurasia, which includes major energy projects, increasing investment cooperation, as well as the possible creation in Russia of new industries for future sale."