Beijing, Moscow sign deals to strengthen cooperation

China and Russia signed multiple cooperation documents on Wednesday covering areas such as investment, education, science and technology, and cross-border cargo transportation, as the two neighbors vowed to further tap potential in practical cooperation and bring bilateral ties to new levels.

The signing of the documents in Moscow was witnessed by Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin after they co-chaired the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government. The meeting has been held every year since 1996.

The leaders agreed that the two countries' strengths are complementary in practical cooperation and urged efforts to steadily advance collaboration in traditional areas, while expanding cooperation in emerging fields such as the digital economy, the biopharmaceutical sector and green development.

The two sides should also take the China-Russia Years of Culture as an opportunity to deepen cultural exchanges and strengthen the foundation of friendship between the Chinese and Russian people, they said.

Li said during the meeting that China-Russia relations have achieved high-quality development, with cooperation in all fields continuously showing strong resilience and advancing steadily in recent years.

Bilateral trade has maintained a momentum of growth, energy cooperation has seen improvements in terms of both quantity and quality, and collaboration in areas such as logistics, aerospace and aviation has gained impetus, while people-to-people exchanges have become more vibrant, he said.

In 2023, bilateral trade between China and Russia exceeded $240 billion, up 26.3 percent year-on-year, according to the Foreign Ministry.

"We are confident and also hopeful about further deepening the all-around and mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries," Li said.

Mishustin spoke highly of the efficient operation of the two countries' intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms, noting that Russia stands ready to work with China in continuously deepening mutual trust, expanding cooperation and closely coordinating in global affairs to better safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.

The Russian prime minister also underlined the importance of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries in facilitating communication and fostering friendship.

According to Mishustin, in Russia, more than 90,000 students and schoolchildren are studying the Chinese language. Last year, the number of tourist trips between the two countries exceeded 1 million and Russia aims to "double this figure "by the end of December, he said.

Li arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a visit widely expected to carry forward the enduring friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia.

On Wednesday morning, he visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow's Alexander Garden and laid a wreath.

Li also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

China and Russia have seen a series of high-level interactions over the past week. Vice-Premier He Lifeng and State Councilor Shen Yiqin had held meetings with senior Russian officials in Moscow respectively on Tuesday and Monday.

Last week, Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu held consultations with visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Alexeevich Ryabkov in Beijing.

Qian Feng, an expert with Tsinghua University's National Strategy Institute and a senior research fellow at the Taihe Institute, a Beijing-based think tank, said China and Russia are developing bilateral relations on the basis of mutual strategic trust.

"The holding of the regular meeting itself demonstrated that the China-Russia relationship is a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, mutual trust and cooperation that benefits both sides," Qian said.