Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to Russia and his participation in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War will be a powerful symbol of the deep and enduring friendship between the two nations, according to Russian officials and scholars.
Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Russia will deepen their traditional friendship, foster the right view of World War II history, defend the outcomes of the victory in the war and the post-war international order, and uphold international fairness and justice, the officials say.
"We, of course, are looking forward with great pleasure to this state visit and to the president's participation in the celebrations on May 9. We are close friends and strategic friends," said Sergej J. Netschajew, Russian Ambassador to Germany.
"Xi Jinping also has important statements about the view of history. Indeed, if you are going to build a lasting peace, if you are going to avoid the mistakes of previous decades and centuries, if you feel responsible for the fate of your own people, neighboring peoples and the entire human civilization, you must deeply understand the historical process, the tragedies of past times, and how these historical tragedies were caused, how they developed, how they were resolved, and at what cost," said Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of Russia's State Duma Committee on International Affairs.
"President Xi will visit Moscow, and all sectors of Russia will warmly welcome him. The two great powers are now 'back to back' and will demonstrate a spirit of unity on this memorable day, the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazism. I think this is a good message to the whole world to preserve the memory of our great joint feat and protect this memory from various falsifications. At the same time, it will also be a message that Russia and China were, are and will be strategic partners," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, a Russian political scientist.
President Xi will pay a state visit to Russia from May 7 to 10 and attend celebrations in Moscow marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation.
Russian officials, scholars expect President Xi's visit to further deepen ties
