The phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday has demonstrated the two countries' resolve to deepen partnership and address pressing issues facing the international community.
Analysts believe that China-Russia cooperation in various fields, including the development and production of COVID-19 vaccines, will continue to grow, benefiting both nations and helping with the global fight against the pandemic.
Besides, joint efforts by the two permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to help stabilize the situation in Afghanistan are expected to contribute to regional peace and security.
ROBUST GROWTH OF TIES
In Wednesday's conversation, Xi said that since the beginning of this year, China and Russia have taken the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation as a new starting point to promote strategic coordination and comprehensive practical cooperation between the two countries.
The two countries should explore new ways of cooperation, expand cooperation areas and work to achieve more cooperation results, he told Putin.
In the latest development, track-laying work of a cross-river railway bridge linking Tongjiang City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province with Nizhneleninskoye in Russia was completed last week.
This bridge is expected to become a new westward Eurasian passway linking China and Russia, as well as Europe, which will be of great significance to promoting high-quality development of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
Against the headwind of the pandemic, China-Russia trade in the first seven months hit 75.49 billion U.S. dollars, up 28 percent year on year, according to Chinese customs data.
"Russian-Chinese trade and economic relations are recovering amid the pandemic," said Vladimir Petrovsky, chief researcher of the Center for Russian-Chinese Relations Studies and Forecasting, the Institute of Far Eastern Studies, the Russian Academy of Sciences.
China is the only major economy to achieve sustainable growth in the current adverse conditions, and a lot depends on China and Russia when it comes to world affairs and the global economy, he said.
JOINT FIGHT AGAINST PANDEMIC
During the call, Xi said China is ready to work with Russia to deepen cooperation on vaccine development and production and ensure the safety and stability of the global supply chain for vaccines, so as to protect the lives and health of the two peoples and contribute to the building of a global community of health for all.
"Russia and China are two powerful global forces that have both contributed to the fight against the coronavirus," Petrovsky said, noting that the two countries have supplied vaccines to developing countries.
Some developing countries are in dire need of vaccines, while developed countries have amassed a great amount but moved slowly to help, said Hanat Baisek, president of the Kazakhstan-China Trade Promotion Association.
He hailed China and Russia as responsible countries, which have delivered numerous doses to others and boosted the recipient countries' confidence in defeating COVID-19.
On COVID-19 origins tracing, Petrovsky stressed that Russia supports China's position that it is absolutely unacceptable to politicize the issue.
"Politics should not interfere in this process," he said. "We see that the United States, to put it mildly, is not coping with the pandemic successfully, hence their desire to shift the blame."
CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE ON AFGHANISTAN
During their call, Xi and Putin agreed to strengthen bilateral and international communication and coordination on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
Xi called for concerted efforts to encourage all factions in Afghanistan to build an open and inclusive political structure through consultation, implement moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, thoroughly dissociate from all terrorist groups, and maintain friendly relations with the rest of the world, especially neighboring countries.
Putin noted that Russia and China share similar positions and common interests on the Afghanistan issue, and his country is willing to work with China to push for a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan.
The in-depth exchange of views between the Chinese and Russian presidents showed that the two countries are working hard to seek to resolve the Afghanistan issue, said Zarko Obradovic, a member of the Serbian parliament and president of the Friendship Group with China.
That, he added, will help ease tensions and prevent violence in the country.
By upholding the principle of fairness and justice, China and Russia are playing a significant and constructive role in major international and regional issues, including global strategic stability and Afghanistan, said Han Lu, an associate research fellow at the Department for European-Central Asian Studies of the China Institute of International Studies.
In the eyes of Petrovsky, cooperation between Russia and China on the Afghanistan issue is taking place due to security concerns, and the current situation has brought their close positions even closer.
"Russia and China have strengthened their global roles as important stabilizing forces," Petrovsky said.
