Russian Embassy holds National Day reception in Beijing, highlighting all-round partnership

The Russian Embassy in China hosted a National Day reception in Beijing on Thursday, one day before Russian National Day, highlighting the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

Peng Qinghua, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, attended the reception.

Peng said China is ready to work with Russia to follow the consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, consolidate the traditional friendship between the two peoples, enhance coordination and cooperation, empower each other's development and revitalization, and promote the building of a new type of international relations.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.

According to China's Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade reached approximately 228 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, exceeding the 200-billion-dollar threshold for the third consecutive year. China has remained Russia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.

Mutual visa-free policies have significantly facilitated people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, over 150,000 Chinese tourists visited Russia in the first quarter of 2026, up 44.4 percent year on year, while Russian trips to China rose 33.6 percent in 2025.

Russian Embassy holds National Day reception in Beijing, highlighting all-round partnership

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed higher on Friday thanks to the strong performance of the gold and jewelry stocks, said Timothy Pope, a market analyst for China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Hong Kong equities closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index gaining 1.93 percent to finish at 24,718.10 points.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 1.91 percent to 8,374.43 points, while the Hang Seng Tech Index edged up 1.06 percent to 4,705.20 points.

"The Hang Seng Index rose 1.9 percent with gains in almost every sector. In Hong Kong we saw gold and jewelery stocks among the top performers, with jewelery chain Chow Tai Fook up more than 15 percent. But risk appetite was clearly more present today, if only in relief that the situation in the Middle East isn't escalating further - although, I think, the market would be steady to have the Strait of Hormuz open again," Pope said.

Hang Seng gains amid strong gold, jewelry market: analyst