Joint statements of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation

Following extensive talks on March 21 between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Chinese leader’s Moscow visit, the two heads of state signed two important joint statements that will guide their bilateral relations for the coming period.

According to the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era:

“The two sides pointed out that China-Russia relations are not a military-political alliance similar to the Cold War era, but go beyond this model of state-to-state relations and have the nature of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries. The relationship between China and Russia is mature, stable, independent, and tenacious…The friendship between the two peoples from generation to generation has a solid foundation, and all-round cooperation between the two countries has broad prospects. Russia needs a prosperous and stable China, and China needs a strong and successful Russia. China and Russia regard each other as priority partners, always respect each other and treat each other as equals, becoming a model for today’s relations between major countries.”

It went on to note that, “the two sides pointed out that each country has the right to independently choose its development path due to its own history, culture, and national conditions. There is no superior ‘democracy’, and the two sides oppose the imposition of their own values, the demarcation of ideology, the hypocritical narrative of so-called ‘democracy against authoritarianism’, and the use of democracy and freedom as an excuse and political tool to put pressure on other countries. Russia attaches great importance to China’s Global Civilization Initiative.”

The joint statement then addressed the whole gamut of bilateral relations in detail, in the course of which it noted that:

“The two sides will forge a closer energy partnership, support companies to advance energy cooperation projects in oil and gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, etc., and promote initiatives that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the use of low-emission energy and renewable energy. The two sides will jointly safeguard international energy security, including critical cross-border infrastructure, maintain the stability of the energy product industry chain and supply chain, promote a fair energy transition and low-carbon development based on the principle of technology neutrality, and jointly contribute to the long-term healthy and stable development of the global energy market.

The statement also dealt with principles of international relations and a range of global issues, with the two countries reaffirming, “their commitment to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” and opposing,  “all forms of hegemonism, unilateralism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, camp confrontation and small circles targeting specific countries.”

They “stressed the importance of the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on the Prevention of Nuclear War and the Avoidance of an Arms Race and reaffirmed that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought’. The two sides call on all signatories to the Joint Statement to follow the concept of the Statement in order to effectively reduce the risk of nuclear war and avoid any armed conflict between nuclear-weapon States. In the context of the deterioration of relations between nuclear-weapon States, measures to reduce strategic risks should be organically integrated into the overall effort to reduce tensions, build more constructive relations and resolve contradictions in the field of security to the greatest extent.” In a reference clearly directed at the United States, the Chinese and Russian Presidents noted that: “All nuclear-weapon States should refrain from deploying nuclear weapons outside their territories and should withdraw their nuclear weapons deployed outside their territories.”

They further “expressed serious concern about the consequences and risks to regional strategic stability of the Trilateral Security Partnership (AUKUS) established by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and related nuclear-powered submarine cooperation plans. The two sides strongly urge AUKUS member states to strictly comply with their obligations on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery and to maintain regional peace, stability, and development.

And: “The two sides reaffirmed that the Biological Weapons Convention should be fully adhered to and continuously strengthened, institutionalized and concluded with a legally binding protocol with an effective verification mechanism. The two sides expressed grave concern over the bio-military activities of the United States that seriously threaten other countries and undermine the security of the relevant regions within or outside its territory and requested the United States to clarify in this regard, refrain from carrying out all biological activities that violate the Biological Weapons Convention, and no longer obstruct the establishment of a compliance verification mechanism within the framework of the Convention.”

They also affirmed their commitment, “to the goal of a world free of chemical weapons and express deep concern over the politicization of the OPCW. [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] The two sides urged the United States, as the only State party that has not completed the destruction of chemical weapons, to accelerate the destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles, and urged Japan to complete the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons in China as soon as possible.”

On the conflict in Ukraine: “The Russian side spoke positively of China’s objective and fair position on the Ukraine issue. The two sides oppose any country or group of countries seeking military, political, or other superiority that harms the legitimate security interests of other countries. The Russian side reiterated its commitment to resuming peace talks as soon as possible, and China appreciates this. The Russian side welcomes China’s willingness to play an active role in resolving the Ukrainian crisis through political and diplomatic means, and welcomes the constructive propositions set out in the document ‘China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis’. The two sides pointed out that the solution to the Ukraine crisis must respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries and prevent the formation of camp confrontation and add fuel to the fire. The two sides stressed that responsible dialogue is the best way to resolve the issue steadily. To that end, the international community should support relevant constructive efforts. The two sides call on all parties to stop all actions that contribute to the tense situation and the prolongation of the fighting to prevent the crisis from worsening or even getting out of control. The two sides oppose any unilateral sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council.”

Turning to the tense situation in Northeast Asia, China and Russia, “oppose the undermining of regional peace and stability by extraterritorial military forces and call on relevant countries to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that endanger regional security…The US side should respond to the legitimate and reasonable concerns of the DPRK with concrete actions to create conditions for the resumption of dialogue.”

On the Middle East, they, “welcomed the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran through dialogue and supported a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution. We support Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and promote a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political settlement package.”

In the much shorter Joint Statement by the President of the People’s Republic and the President of the Russian Federation on the development plan for key directions of Sino-Russian economic cooperation until 2030, Xi and Putin laid out eight points, the fourth of which concerned energy and stated that their countries should:

“Consolidate the all-round energy partnership. Strengthen long-term cooperation in key energy areas, promote the implementation of strategic cooperation projects, expand cooperation forms, strengthen cooperation in energy technology, equipment, and other fields, jointly safeguard the energy security of the two countries and the world, and promote global energy transformation.”

The document also specified a number of other areas in which cooperation should be developed.

We reprint below the full texts of both documents, based on machine translation from the Chinese language original as published on the website of China’s Foreign Ministry. This translation has been lightly edited by us.

Joint statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era

View original

At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China paid a state visit to the Russian Federation from March 20-22, 2023. The two heads of state held talks in Moscow. President Xi Jinping also met with Prime Minister Mishustin of the Government of the Russian Federation.

The People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as “the Parties”), declare the following:

One

With the unremitting efforts of both sides, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era has reached the highest level in history and has continued to develop. The two sides reaffirmed the development of bilateral relations in accordance with the principles and spirit set forth in the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation signed on July 7, 2001, the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on the 16th Anniversary of the Signing of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation issued on June 6, 2021,  and the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on International Relations and Global Sustainable Development in the New Era issued on February 4, 2022.

The two sides pointed out that China-Russia relations are not a military-political alliance similar to the Cold War era, but go beyond this model of state-to-state relations and have the nature of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third countries. The relationship between China and Russia is mature, stable, independent, and tenacious, withstanding the test of the coronavirus epidemic and the changing international situation, free from external influences, and showing vitality. The friendship between the two peoples from generation to generation has a solid foundation, and all-round cooperation between the two countries has broad prospects. Russia needs a prosperous and stable China, and China needs a strong and successful Russia.

China and Russia regard each other as priority partners, always respect each other and treat each other as equals, becoming a model for today’s relations between major countries. Under the guidance of the head of states’ diplomacy, the two sides have maintained close exchanges at all levels, in-depth communication on major issues of mutual concern, enhanced mutual trust, ensured that bilateral relations operate at a high level, and are willing to further deepen bilateral relations and develop dialogue mechanisms in various fields.

The two sides pointed out that the current world changes are accelerating evolution, the international pattern is profoundly adjusted, peace, development, cooperation and win-win results are irresistible historical trends, the multipolar international pattern is taking shape at an accelerated pace, the status of emerging markets and developing countries has generally increased, and the number of regional powers with global influence and determined to defend their legitimate rights and interests is increasing. At the same time, hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism are still rampant, and the replacement of universally recognized principles and norms of international law with a ‘rules-based order’ is unacceptable.

The principles of universality, openness, inclusiveness, non-discrimination, and balance should be upheld to achieve a multipolar world and sustainable development for all countries. China and Russia call on all countries to promote the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all mankind, to engage in dialogue rather than confrontation, inclusiveness rather than exclusion, to live in harmony and win-win cooperation and promote world peace and development.

Under this situation, the two sides maintain close diplomatic coordination, carry out close multilateral cooperation, resolutely safeguard fairness and justice, and promote the building of a new type of international relations.

The two sides stressed that consolidating and deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era is a strategic choice made by the two sides based on their respective national conditions, which conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, conforms to the trend of development of the times, and is not subject to external influences.

The Parties will:

– Guided by the consensus of the two heads of state, ensure that bilateral relations always move in the right direction.

– Firmly support each other in safeguarding their core interests, first and foremost sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and development.

– Adhering to the principle of mutual benefit, continue to deepen and expand pragmatic cooperation in the process of modernization, achieve common development and prosperity, and better benefit the Chinese and Russian peoples.

– Promote mutual understanding between the two peoples and constantly consolidate the foundation of social and public opinion for the friendship between the two countries for generations to come.

– Promote world multipolarization, economic globalization and democracy in international relations, and promote the development of global governance in a more just and rational direction.

Two

The two sides pointed out that each country has the right to independently choose its development path due to its own history, culture, and national conditions. There is no superior ‘democracy’, and the two sides oppose the imposition of their own values, the demarcation of ideology, the hypocritical narrative of so-called ‘democracy against authoritarianism’, and the use of democracy and freedom as an excuse and political tool to put pressure on other countries. Russia attaches great importance to China’s Global Civilization Initiative.

The two sides pointed out that the realization of human rights for all is the common pursuit of human society. All countries have the right to independently choose the path of human rights development, and different civilizations and countries should respect each other, tolerate each other, exchange with each other, and learn from each other. The two sides will unswervingly advance the cause of human rights in their own countries and in the world.

Russia supports China’s realization of Chinese-style modernization. China supports Russia in achieving its national development goals before 2030.

The two sides oppose interference by external forces in internal affairs.

The Russian side reaffirms its adherence to the one-China principle, recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of China’s territory, opposes any form of ‘Taiwan independence’, and firmly supports China’s measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The two sides agreed to strengthen the exchange of foreign-related rule of law and legislative experience to provide legal guarantees for the development of China-Russia relations and international cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides will continue to conduct mutual trust dialogue between the central government and its subordinate agencies, as well as high-level representatives within the framework of strategic security consultations and law enforcement and security cooperation mechanisms. The two sides will promote exchanges between the political parties of the two countries.

The two sides agreed to hold an annual meeting of the ministers of public security and interior affairs to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement in preventing ‘color revolutions’, cracking down on the ‘three forces’ including the ‘East Turkestan Islamic Movement’, transnational organized crime, economic crimes, drug crimes and other law enforcement fields.

The two sides will regularly organize joint maritime and air cruises and joint exercises and training, strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries, including under existing bilateral mechanisms, and further deepen military mutual trust.

The two sides attach great importance to safeguarding the security and rights and interests of overseas personnel and institutions of the two countries and will further promote the construction of bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and counterpart exchanges, and continuously expand the ways and fields of cooperation in the security protection of overseas citizens, projects and institutions.

Three

The two sides will strengthen coordination, implement precise policies, and proceed from a strategic height to effectively enhance the level of pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in various fields, so as to consolidate the material foundation of bilateral relations and benefit the two peoples.

The two sides will consolidate the momentum of bilateral trade growth, continue to optimize the trade structure, implement the Roadmap for the High-quality Development of China-Russia Trade in Goods and Services, support the development of e-commerce, cultivate new economic and trade growth points, expand the breadth of economic and trade cooperation, improve the efficiency of cooperation, minimize external risks, and ensure the stability and security of the industrial chain and supply chain. The two sides will deepen local cooperation, broaden cooperation areas and fields, and promote exchanges and cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises of the two sides.

The two sides will steadily promote investment cooperation in various fields, optimize the business environment, improve legal guarantees, innovate cooperation methods, and deepen cooperation in digital economy and green and sustainable development. The two sides will continue to promote the preparation of the new version of the Outline of the China-Russia Investment Cooperation Plan.

The two sides welcome the Joint Statement on Initiating Negotiations on the Upgrading of the Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments signed on November 12, 2022, issued by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation on December 5, 2006, and will continue negotiations on this to enhance the level of investment protection, promote investment facilitation, and create a more stable, fair, transparent and predictable business environment for investors and their investments.

The two sides will continue to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in the financial sector, including ensuring smooth settlement between economic entities of the two countries and supporting the expansion of the use of local currencies in bilateral trade, investment, credit. and other economic and trade activities.

The two sides will forge a closer energy partnership, support companies to advance energy cooperation projects in oil and gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, etc., and promote initiatives that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the use of low-emission energy and renewable energy. The two sides will jointly safeguard international energy security, including critical cross-border infrastructure, maintain the stability of the energy product industry chain and supply chain, promote a fair energy transition and low-carbon development based on the principle of technology neutrality, and jointly contribute to the long-term healthy and stable development of the global energy market.

The two sides will continue to carry out practical cooperation in civil aviation manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, shipbuilding, metallurgy and other areas of common interest.

The two sides will strengthen cooperation in the field of transportation, improve cross-border infrastructure, improve port capacity, and ensure the stable operation of ports. The two sides will continue to support China-EU transit through Russia in carrying out rail and sea cargo transportation to improve transportation efficiency.

The two sides will deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of space, including the implementation of the Outline of Space Cooperation between the State Space Administration of the People’s Republic of China and the State Space Corporation of the Russian Federation for 2023-2027.

The two sides will actively create facilities to enhance the diversity and availability of agricultural products and grains to be exported to each other.

The two sides support the holding of the 2023 China-Russia Expo in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

China supports the promotion of the integration process within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, and Russia supports the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The two sides will work together to actively promote the docking and cooperation between the Belt and Road and the Eurasian Economic Union, and strengthen the connectivity of Asia and Europe. The two sides will continue to implement the Agreement on Economic and Trade Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Eurasian Economic Union signed on May 5, 2018.

The two sides are willing to continue to promote the parallel and coordinated development of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Greater Eurasian Partnership, promote the process of bilateral and multilateral integration, and benefit the people of all countries in Eurasia.

The two sides attach great importance to the implementation of the 2015 Medium-term Roadmap for the Development of Trilateral Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation and Mongolia and the 2016 Outline Plan for the Construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, so as to further deepen the trilateral package of cooperation, and will actively promote the further integration of this promising mechanism with regional organizations and mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union. The two sides will work together to promote the study and consultation of the new China-Mongolia-Russia natural gas pipeline project.

The two sides agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field of anti-money laundering, including coordination under multilateral frameworks.

Four

The two sides oppose the politicization of international humanitarian cooperation and discrimination against people in the fields of culture, education, science and sports on the grounds of nationality, language, religion, political or other beliefs, national or social origin.

The two sides will strive to restore and expand offline people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, and continuously consolidate the friendship between the two peoples and the social foundation of bilateral relations.

The two sides will deepen educational cooperation, promote two-way study abroad to improve quality and efficiency, encourage cooperation between universities, support the construction of similar university alliances and secondary school alliances between China and Russia, promote cooperative school-running and vocational education exchanges, deepen language teaching cooperation, enhance student exchanges between the two countries, and carry out digital education cooperation.

The two sides will deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of science and technology innovation, expand the exchange of talents in industry, give full play to the potential of cooperation in basic research, applied research and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, and focus on joint research in frontier fields of science and technology and common issues of global development, including climate change response and adaptation. They will explore new models of cooperation in technologies and industries such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, 5G, digital economy, and low-carbon economy.

The two sides will strengthen exchanges between museums, libraries, art galleries, theatres and other cultural, literary and artistic institutions of the two countries. The two sides will expand tourism cooperation and exchanges and encourage the construction of a comfortable tourism environment.

The two sides will deepen cooperation in the field of medical and health care, expand exchanges in scientific research and higher medical education, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field of drug and medical device supervision, cooperate in disaster medicine, infectious diseases, oncology, nuclear medicine, maternal and child health care, ophthalmology, psychiatry and other fields, and strengthen relevant cooperation in multilateral platforms such as the World Health Organization, BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, G20, and APEC.

The two sides will continue to carry out health and epidemic prevention cooperation to cope with the threat of the epidemic. The two sides will jointly oppose attempts to limit the sovereign rights of States in the prevention and control of infectious diseases and in early warning and response to biological threats through the formation of legally binding mechanisms within the framework of international organizations.

The two sides highly value the positive results of the 2022-2023 China-Russia Year of Sports Exchange and will continue to strengthen sports cooperation in various fields and promote the common development of sports undertakings in the two countries. China supports Russia in hosting the International E-sports Event ‘Future Games’ in Kazan, Russia in 2024. The two sides oppose the politicization of sports and hope to give play to the unique role of sport and promote unity and peace.

The two sides welcome the relevant initiatives and decisions of the IOC and the Olympic Council of Asia to jointly safeguard Olympic values and build a good platform for eligible athletes from all countries to participate.

The two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation in marine scientific research, marine ecological protection, marine disaster prevention and mitigation, marine equipment research and development, continue to deepen practical cooperation in polar scientific research, environmental protection and organization of scientific expeditions, and contribute more public goods to global marine governance.

The two sides are willing to work together to improve the level of emergency management cooperation, cooperate in aviation rescue technology, emergency monitoring and early warning, personnel training, and other fields, organize joint training on emergency rescue including border areas, and strengthen maritime search and rescue information sharing and cooperation.

The two sides are willing to strengthen policy communication and cooperation in the audiovisual field of radio and television networks, promote cooperation in joint production, program mutual broadcasting, technology research and development and application, and promote the common development of the industry.

The two sides agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of media, think tanks, publishing, social sciences, archives, literature, and art.

The two sides will cooperate in strengthening ideological and moral education for young people, provide opportunities for youth of the two countries to become self-talented, entrepreneurial, innovative, creative, and to engage in other growth-oriented activities, strengthen direct exchanges between young people of the two countries, and expand joint youth programs.

The two sides will continue to carry out bilateral activities in the fields of volunteerism, entrepreneurship, industrial innovation and creativity, and children’s groups, and coordinate and deepen cooperation on multilateral youth platforms within the framework of the United Nations, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the G20.

Five

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and oppose all forms of hegemonism, unilateralism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, camp confrontation and small circles targeting specific countries.

The Russian side pointed out that China’s concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind is of positive significance to strengthening the unity of the international community and working together to address common challenges. China spoke positively of Russia’s constructive and unremitting efforts to promote the building of fair and multipolar international relations.

The two sides support the building of an open world economy, safeguard the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, call for an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory development environment, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, oppose ‘building walls and building barriers’, ‘decoupling and breaking chains’, and oppose unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure.

The Russian side highly values the Global Development Initiative and will continue to participate in the work of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative. The two sides will continue to push the international community to focus on development issues, increase development investment, jointly promote the positive outcomes of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit, and accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The two sides expressed deep concern over the severe challenges to international security and held that all peoples share the same destiny and that no country should achieve its own security at the expense of the security of others. The two sides call on the international community to actively participate in global security governance in accordance with the principle of consultation and joint construction, effectively consolidate global strategic stability and safeguard common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, and make good use of international mechanisms such as arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation. To this end, the two sides reaffirmed the need for a comprehensive approach to improve the international security architecture with the times and make it more resilient. One of the core pillars of the architecture should be to agree on and adhere to the principles and provisions of peaceful coexistence at this stage of history, minimizing the possibility of conflict between States. The permanent members of the UN Security Council bear special responsibility for maintaining world peace and stability and should avoid conflicts to the greatest extent.

The two sides condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, are committed to promoting the establishment of a global united front against terrorism by the international community with the United Nations at its core, oppose the politicization and adoption of ‘double standards’ in the fight against terrorism and extremism, and condemn acts that use terrorist and extremist organizations to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and achieve geopolitical objectives under the banner of combating international terrorism and extremism. An objective, impartial and professional investigation of the explosion of the ‘Nord Stream’ pipeline should be conducted.

The two sides are determined to continue to cooperate closely in regional and global security affairs, including the joint implementation of the Global Security Initiative, timely exchange views and coordinate positions on major international and regional issues, and contribute to the maintenance of world peace and security.

The two sides have carried out fruitful bilateral and multilateral cooperation to cope with the global pandemic and safeguard the life, safety and health of the people of the two countries and the world. The two sides support the two countries in deepening information exchanges on the epidemic, strengthening coordination and cooperation on platforms such as the World Health Organization, and jointly opposing politicized attempts to trace the origin of the virus.

Six

The two sides will continue to work closely together to promote a greater role and influence of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region. The two sides will work with other member states to improve the work of the SCO at the current stage, effectively respond to new challenges and threats, and deepen multilateral and mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic, trade and cultural fields in Asia and Europe.

The Russian side highly appreciates China’s successful hosting of the 14th BRICS Summit. The two sides are willing to work together with other BRICS members to implement the consensus reached at the previous BRICS summits, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, actively promote discussions on the expansion of membership between BRICS countries and the New Development Bank, actively carry out BRICS+ cooperation and BRICS peripheral dialogue, and safeguard the common interests of emerging markets and developing countries.

The two sides will strengthen coordination on China-Russia-India, China-Russia-Mongolia, as well as platforms such as the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus. China and Russia will strengthen coordination on deepening cooperation with ASEAN and continue to promote the consolidation of ASEAN’s central position in the regional architecture.

The two sides believe that UNESCO’s role as a universal platform for people-to-people exchanges should be further strengthened, true multilateralism should be upheld, mutual respect and professional dialogue should be promoted on the platform, and effective communication, consensus and solidarity among Member States should be promoted. The two sides encourage UNESCO and the SCO to strengthen cooperation on issues of mutual interest on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the SCO Secretariat and UNESCO.

The two sides are committed to strengthening coordination under the G20 and other multilateral mechanisms, promoting the G20 to address outstanding challenges in the international economy and finance, improving a fair and reasonable global economic governance system, better reflecting the world economic pattern, and enhancing the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries. The two sides support the accession of the African Union to the G20.

The two sides will strengthen coordination and cooperation under the APEC framework, promote the comprehensive and balanced implementation of the Putrajaya Vision, and promote the building of an open, dynamic, resilient, and peaceful Asia-Pacific Community by 2040.

The two sides will strengthen cooperation on supporting the multilateral trading system based on WTO rules, combating trade protectionism, including illegal unilateral trade restrictions, and strengthening dialogue on WTO reform and other WTO agendas, especially promoting the restoration of the normal operation of the dispute settlement mechanism by 2024, promoting the implementation of the results of negotiations on joint initiatives such as investment facilitation and e-commerce, so that the WTO can play a greater role in global economic governance.

The two sides strongly condemn the politicization of multilateral platforms and attempts by certain countries to cram extraneous issues into the agenda of multilateral platforms and dilute the primary tasks of relevant mechanisms.

Seven

The two sides stressed the importance of the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on the Prevention of Nuclear War and the Avoidance of an Arms Race and reaffirmed that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought’. The two sides call on all signatories to the Joint Statement to follow the concept of the Statement in order to effectively reduce the risk of nuclear war and avoid any armed conflict between nuclear-weapon States. In the context of the deterioration of relations between nuclear-weapon States, measures to reduce strategic risks should be organically integrated into the overall effort to reduce tensions, build more constructive relations and resolve contradictions in the field of security to the greatest extent. All nuclear-weapon States should refrain from deploying nuclear weapons outside their territories and should withdraw their nuclear weapons deployed outside their territories.

The two sides reaffirmed that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is the cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the Treaty and will continue to cooperate in upholding and strengthening the Treaty and maintaining world peace and security.

The two sides expressed serious concern about the consequences and risks to regional strategic stability of the Trilateral Security Partnership (AUKUS) established by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia and related nuclear-powered submarine cooperation plans. The two sides strongly urge AUKUS member states to strictly comply with their obligations on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery and to maintain regional peace, stability, and development.

The two sides expressed grave concern over Japan’s plan to discharge radioactive contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident into the sea this year and stressed the need for transparent and full consultation between Japan and other stakeholders such as neighboring countries and relevant international institutions. The two sides urge Japan to properly dispose of radiologically contaminated water in a scientific, transparent, and safe manner, and accept long-term supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency and relevant countries, so as to effectively protect the marine environment and the health rights and interests of the people of all countries.

The two sides reaffirmed the importance of the early restoration of the complete and effective implementation of the JCPOA [Iran nuclear agreement] and UNSCR 2231 and called on all parties concerned to make political decisions and promote the resumption of negotiations on the implementation of the JCPOA to achieve positive results.

The two sides reaffirmed that the Biological Weapons Convention should be fully adhered to and continuously strengthened, institutionalized and concluded with a legally binding protocol with an effective verification mechanism. The two sides expressed grave concern over the biomilitary activities of the United States that seriously threaten other countries and undermine the security of the relevant regions within or outside its territory and requested the United States to clarify in this regard, refrain from carrying out all biological activities that violate the Biological Weapons Convention, and no longer obstruct the establishment of a compliance verification mechanism within the framework of the Convention.

The two sides are committed to the goal of a world free of chemical weapons and express deep concern over the politicization of the OPCW. The two sides urged the United States, as the only State party that has not completed the destruction of chemical weapons, to accelerate the destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles, and urged Japan to complete the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons in China as soon as possible.

China and Russia expressed concern about the United States accelerating the construction of the global anti-missile system and deploying anti-missile systems around the world, strengthening incapacitating high-precision non-nuclear weapons strategic strike capabilities, promoting the deployment of land-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe and providing them to its allies, and urged the United States to stop undermining international and regional security and global strategic stability in order to maintain its unilateral military superiority.

China and Russia oppose the attempts of certain countries to transform outer space into a territory of military confrontation and oppose the use of outer space to achieve military superiority and military action. The two sides advocate the early commencement of negotiations on a legally binding multilateral instrument on the basis of the draft Sino-Russian Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space and the Threat or Use of Force against Space Objects, so as to provide fundamental and reliable safeguards for the prevention of an arms race in outer space, the weaponization of outer space and the threat or use of force against outer space objects. The two sides endorse the global implementation of international initiatives and political commitments of no first deployment of weapons in outer space in order to consolidate international peace, ensure equitable and indivisible universal security, and enhance the predictability and sustainability of the research and use of outer space for peaceful purposes by all countries.

The two sides attach great importance to the issue of AI governance and are willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation on AI issues.

The two sides oppose the militarization of information and communication technologies and the restriction of normal information and communication and technology development and cooperation, and support the establishment of a multilateral, fair and transparent global Internet governance system on the premise of ensuring the sovereignty and security of Internet governance of all countries. The two sides welcome the work of the UN Open Working Group on Security and Information Security in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies 2021-2025 as the only UN process in the field of international information security. The two sides believe that a new and responsible national code of conduct in information cyberspace should be formulated, especially universal international legal instruments. China’s Global Data Security Initiative and Russia’s concept paper on the International Convention on Information Security will make important contributions to the formulation of relevant norms. The two sides support the elaboration by the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee of a comprehensive international convention against the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes.

Eight

The two sides have taken strong measures to cope with and adapt to climate change, actively cooperated, built, and operated a greenhouse gas emission trading system, voluntarily implemented climate projects, and exchanged experience among countries and regions on global warming mitigation and adaptation, making important contributions.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the objectives, principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, adherence to true multilateralism, and the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. The two sides stressed that accelerating financial support from developed countries to developing countries is critical to strengthening mitigation actions and addressing inequalities in access to finance. The two sides oppose the erection of trade barriers and the politicization of climate issues on the grounds of addressing climate change.

The two sides highly appreciate the outcome of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, chaired by China, and hope that it will make positive contributions to promoting the global biodiversity governance process. The two sides firmly promote international cooperation and exchanges on biodiversity, actively implement the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and jointly promote the harmonious development of man and nature to contribute to global sustainable development.

Nine

The two sides believe that the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations must be respected and international law must be respected. The Russian side spoke positively of China’s objective and fair position on the Ukraine issue. The two sides oppose any country or group of countries seeking military, political, or other superiority that harms the legitimate security interests of other countries. The Russian side reiterated its commitment to resuming peace talks as soon as possible, and China appreciates this. The Russian side welcomes China’s willingness to play an active role in resolving the Ukrainian crisis through political and diplomatic means, and welcomes the constructive propositions set out in the document ‘China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis’. The two sides pointed out that the solution to the Ukraine crisis must respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries and prevent the formation of camp confrontation and add fuel to the fire. The two sides stressed that responsible dialogue is the best way to resolve the issue steadily. To that end, the international community should support relevant constructive efforts. The two sides call on all parties to stop all actions that contribute to the tense situation and the prolongation of the fighting to prevent the crisis from worsening or even getting out of control. The two sides oppose any unilateral sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council.

The two sides urge NATO to abide by its commitments as a regional and defensive organization, and call on NATO to respect the sovereignty, security, interests, diversity of civilizations, history, and culture of other countries, and view the peaceful development of other countries objectively and fairly. The two sides expressed grave concern over NATO’s continued strengthening of military-security ties with Asia-Pacific countries and the undermining of regional peace and stability. The two sides oppose the patchwork of closed and exclusive bloc structures in the Asia-Pacific region to create bloc politics and camp confrontation. The two sides pointed out that the United States adheres to the Cold War mentality and pursues the ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy’, which has a negative impact on peace and stability in the region. China and Russia are committed to building an equal, open, and inclusive Asia-Pacific security system that is not aimed at third countries, so as to maintain regional peace, stability and prosperity.

The two sides believe that maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia is in the interests of all parties concerned. The two sides oppose the undermining of regional peace and stability by extraterritorial military forces and call on relevant countries to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that endanger regional security.

The two sides expressed concern about the situation on the Korean Peninsula and urged all parties concerned to remain calm and exercise restraint, strive to ease the situation, and the US side should respond to the legitimate and reasonable concerns of the DPRK with concrete actions to create conditions for the resumption of dialogue. The two sides have always advocated maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, including the denuclearization of the Peninsula, and jointly advocated the establishment of a peace and security mechanism on the Peninsula. The two sides will continue to communicate and cooperate closely and continuously promote the political settlement process of the Korean Peninsula issue in accordance with the ‘dual-track’ approach and the principle of phased and synchronized progress. The two sides call on all parties concerned to actively echo the joint efforts of China and Russia to promote peace talks and play a constructive role in this process.

The two sides stand for maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East, support regional countries in strengthening their strategic autonomy, resolve hotspot issues through dialogue and consultation, and oppose interference in the internal affairs of regional countries. The two sides welcomed the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran through dialogue and supported a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution. We support Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and promote a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political settlement package. We stand for safeguarding Libya’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and promoting a political settlement process led by and owned by the people. The two sides will strengthen communication and docking on their respective Gulf security initiatives and work together to build a collective security architecture in the Gulf region.

The two sides believe that the CSTO has made positive contributions to regional security, and China and the CSTO have potential for cooperation in maintaining regional peace and stability.

The two sides are willing to strengthen cooperation, support Central Asian countries in safeguarding their sovereignty, ensuring national development, and opposing ‘color revolutions’ and interference in regional affairs by external forces.

The two sides will strengthen communication and coordination on African affairs, maintain a good and healthy atmosphere of international cooperation in Africa, support African countries’ efforts to resolve African issues independently, and contribute to the cause of peace and development on the African continent. China and Russia will continue to hold consultations on Latin American affairs, strengthen communication and dialogue, attach importance to the development of bilateral relations with Latin American and Caribbean countries, and continue to promote stability and prosperity in the region.

The two sides advocated that the Arctic should continue to be a place of peace, stability, and constructive cooperation.

President of the People’s Republic of China
Xi Jinping
President of the Russian Federation
V. V. Putin
Moscow, 21 March 2023

---

Joint statement by the President of the People’s Republic of China and the President of the Russian Federation on the development plan for key directions of Sino-Russian economic cooperation until 2030

View original

At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China paid a state visit to the Russian Federation from March 20-22, 20.23 The two heads of state held talks in Moscow, exchanged in-depth views on important issues concerning the development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and bilateral practical cooperation in the new era, and agreed to firmly adhere to the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, realize the long-term independent development of the two countries, promote the high-quality development of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation, inject new impetus into the comprehensive promotion of bilateral cooperation, maintain the rapid development momentum of trade in goods and services between the two countries, and strive to significantly increase the trade volume between the two countries by 2030. It is hereby stated as follows:

The People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as “the Parties”) will carry out bilateral economic cooperation in the following eight key directions:

1.     Expand the scale of trade, optimize the structure of trade, and develop e-commerce and other innovative cooperation models. Steadily promote the high-quality development of bilateral investment cooperation, deepen cooperation in the fields of digital economy and green and sustainable development, create a good business environment, and mutually enhance the level of trade and investment facilitation.

2.     Vigorously develop an interconnected logistics system. Ensure the convenient two-way movement of goods and personnel between the two countries through rail, road, air, river, and sea transportation. In the spirit of mutual benefit, we will release the potential of transit transportation between the two countries, give priority to solving bottlenecks, improve China-Russia border infrastructure, especially the construction of key ports, step by step and in stages, and improve the efficiency of customs clearance and inspection.

3.     Enhance the level of financial cooperation. In bilateral trade, investment, loans, and other economic and trade exchanges, we will steadily increase the proportion of local currency settlement in line with market demand. Continue to exchange experiences on innovation and modernization in the payments sector. Strengthen financial market cooperation and support cooperation between rating agencies and insurance companies of the two countries within the framework of existing regulatory frameworks.

4.     Consolidate the all-round energy partnership. Strengthen long-term cooperation in key energy areas, promote the implementation of strategic cooperation projects, expand cooperation forms, strengthen cooperation in energy technology, equipment, and other fields, jointly safeguard the energy security of the two countries and the world, and promote global energy transformation.

5.     Strengthen coordination and develop long-term mutually beneficial supply cooperation in the fields of metallurgy, fertilizers, chemical products and other bulk commodities and mineral resources on the basis of market-oriented principles. Strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in the construction of deep processing capacity of resources in the territory of the two countries.

6.     Promote exchanges and high-quality cooperation in the field of technology and innovation to ensure the high-level development of technology between the two countries.

7.     Promote the quality and upgrading of industrial cooperation. On the basis of aligning with industry standards and technical requirements, create a new industrial chain with the participation of local industrial enterprises of the two countries to enhance added value.

8.     Effectively enhance the level of agricultural cooperation and ensure food security between the two countries. Deepen cooperation in trade in agricultural products, steadily expand mutual access for agricultural products on the basis of ensuring security, and expand investment cooperation in the agricultural sector.

The two sides are also willing to continue to deepen cooperation in the field of humanities and further expand exchanges in education, science and technology, culture, tourism, sports, health, and other fields. We will tap the potential of local cooperation and border cooperation between the two countries, improve practical results, and develop mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia in the ‘Northeast-Far East’ region.

The Heads of State instruct the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Russian Federation:

Guided by the above-mentioned key directions, strengthen mutual cooperation, promote cooperation between the two countries, draft relevant plans, and review relevant implementation within the framework of the 28th regular meeting of Chinese and Russian prime ministers.

President of the People’s Republic of China
Xi Jinping
President of the Russian Federation
V. V. Putin
Moscow, 21 March 2023