China-Russia relations have reached a historic high and remain extremely stable and resilient amidst the current complex international landscape, with both nations expanding pragmatic cooperation across multiple sectors, experts say.
These comments came following Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia from Wednesday to Saturday, during which he attended the celebrations in Moscow marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.
During his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi emphasized that the bilateral relationship between China and Russia was rooted in clear historical logic, strong internal momentum, and deep cultural foundations.
He noted that the relationship was not aimed at any third party or subject to the influence of any third party.
As long as both countries maintain strategic resolve and coordination, no force can disrupt their development, the enduring friendship between their peoples or the trend of the times towards multi-polarization and economic globalization, said Xi.
Putin said that Russia and China have always supported each other and have always been partners in times of challenge. He emphasized that the friendship between the two nations is unbreakable and is immune to the influence of temporary events or external interference.
"The development of China-Russia relations has reached an unprecedented historical high. Against the backdrop of once-in-a-century changes unfolding across the world and escalating competition and rivalry between major powers, the China-Russia relationship remains extremely stable and resilient. Our cooperation is predictable and holds great prospects for the future. The development of bilateral relations follows its own logic, and this cooperation aligns with the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples. Therefore, I believe this relationship will not be shaken," said Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in an interview with China Central Television.
Pragmatic cooperation continues to be the driving force behind the stable development of China-Russia relations. During Xi's visit, over 20 cooperation agreements were signed between the two sides, injecting fresh momentum into the development of the bilateral relationship.
Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, energy, cross-border e-commerce, agriculture, minerals, nuclear energy, and aerospace, while also accelerating collaboration in emerging fields like sci-tech innovation and artificial intelligence.
A decade ago, China-Russia relations were often characterized as "politically warm, economically cold", with political ties strong but economic and trade cooperation limited. However, as noted by Ding Xiaoxing, deputy secretary-general of the academic committee at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, this has changed now.
"In terms of energy cooperation, Russia has become China's largest oil and natural gas supplier. A decade ago, trade between China and Russia was only tens of billions of U.S. dollars. By 2024, it has topped 240 billion U.S. dollars. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. In recent years, Chinese cars are increasingly seen in Russia, and President Putin has welcomed Chinese companies to invest and set up factories in Russia. Against the backdrop of current trade tensions globally, there is still vast potential for expanding China-Russia pragmatic cooperation," said Ding.
China-Russia ties reach historic high, remaining stable amid global challenges: experts
