VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
The dynamics of Russian-Chinese relations have been stable and high due to reliable legislation, an extensive administrative infrastructure, and dynamic relations at all levels.
The main principles and spheres of bilateral cooperation are sealed in the Treaty of Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation, which Russia and China signed in Moscow on July 16, 2001. They have intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements in nearly all spheres of cooperation.
The Russian and the Chinese heads of state meet regularly, at least three times a year (official visits and bilateral meetings during SCO, APEC and G8 summits).
In 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese President Hu Jintao met five times.
On May 23-24, 2008, President Medvedev made his first official visit to China. Following their talks, Dmitry Medvedev and Hu Jintao signed a joint declaration on the key international issues. In all, the parties signed eight agreements during the visit.
In 2008, the two leaders met during the G8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan, on July 9, the SCO summit in Dushanbe on August 27-28, the G20 summit in Washington on November 15, and the APEC summit in Lima on November 23.
The mechanism of regular annual meetings between the Russian and the Chinese prime ministers, first used in 1996, is the underlying factor of the progressive development of bilateral relations in all spheres.
The 13th regular meeting of the two prime ministers was held during the official visit of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to Russia on October 27-29, 2008. Wen Jiabao also met with President Dmitry Medvedev.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was in Beijing on August 7-9, 2008 for the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics. During that visit, he met with President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.
Russia and China have settled their border disputes and formalised the delimitation of the remaining two disputed stretches in the eastern part of the border. An additional protocol recording the Russian-Chinese border was signed in Beijing on July 21, 2008 and came into force upon the completion of the required procedures on October 14, 2008.
Russian-Chinese inter-parliamentary relations have been highly intensive. The two parliaments regularly exchange delegations from their committees and commissions, and have set up Russia-China friendship groups.
The State Duma and the Federation Council of Russia's Federal Assembly (parliament) and the National People's Congress of China have set up joint inter-parliamentary commissions, and their committees and commissions maintain broad dialogue. State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov made an official visit to China in May 2007, and Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov officially visited China in late September 2007.
The agreements on military confidence-building measures and on the mutual reduction of troops on the former Soviet-Chinese border, signed by the heads of five states - Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - in Shanghai in April 1996 and in Moscow in April 1997, are being implemented. In 2001, the Shanghai Five was transformed into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation co-founded by the above five countries and Uzbekistan.
In 2008 Russian-Chinese trade grew 18% year on year, to $56.8 billion. Russian exports to China grew 15.9%, to $23.8 billion, and imports from China 21%, to $31 billion, which puts Russia's negative trade balance at $9.2 billion. The growth of bilateral trade has slowed due to the global financial and economic crisis, but mostly because of a decline in the growth of imports from China.
Interregional ties are developing at a fast pace. Over 100 cooperation agreements have been signed between the administrative and territorial authorities of different levels. At this point, over 70 Russian constituent entities maintain ties with Chinese provinces.
One of the key priorities of bilateral relations is cultural and social cooperation. The sides have outlined large-scale cooperation projects, such as annual culture festivals, the establishment of joint universities, strengthening of coordination between their sanitary and epidemiological services, promotion of traditional Chinese medicine in Russia, planned promotion of tourist and sports exchanges, and cooperation between the two countries' media. Work is proceeding apace in the Russian-Chinese Friendship, Peace and Development Committee.
Vivid proof of the high level of Russian-Chinese relations was the decision of the two heads of state to hold the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China in Russia in 2006-2007. It was an unprecedented project in the history of the two countries' relations, which implied some 600 events in the political, trade, economic, military, research and technical, and cultural spheres. Russia and China also agreed to regularly hold some of the economic, scientific, cultural and sports events that proved especially successful, focusing on youth contacts.
Russia and China have launched a new large-scale cultural project, the Year of the Russian Language in China (2009) and the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia (2010). The two heads of state announced the opening of the Year of the Russian Language in China in their New Year addresses to the people. An organising committee for the Year has been set up under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov.
After a shattering earthquake in Sichuan Province, approximately 1,000 Chinese children spent two weeks, from July 17 to August 5, 2008, at the health resorts of the Southern, Siberian and Far Eastern federal districts of Russia at the invitation of the Russian President.
The two countries' approach to fundamental issues of world order and key international problems coincide or are close, which helps them cooperate closely on the foreign policy scene.
Russia's stance on the Taiwan issue was sealed in the Treaty of Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation (2001). According to it, there is only one China, and the Government of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China, with Taiwan as an inalienable part of it.
China does not protest against Russia's unofficial trade, economic, scientific, cultural, sports and other ties with Taiwan.
Russia also agrees that Tibet is an inalienable part of China.
For its part, China supports Russia's efforts in the struggle against terrorism and separatism on its territory.
