"The financial sector is an important area of cooperation between China and Russia"

Russia and China will be able to jointly create aviation products that are more competitive on the international market, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an interview with Izvestia. The republic intends to further deepen cooperation with our country in the development of AI technologies and semiconductors, Beijing expects Moscow's active participation in the creation of the World Organization for Cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Chinese enterprises are highly interested in the Russian market, and bank subsidiaries are also successfully operating here. In addition, the parties will continue to work on optimizing the visa policy. New growth points in trade, joint lunar exploration and Russian hospitality are discussed in an exclusive interview with the Chinese Ambassador to the Russian Federation to Izvestia.

"We are ready to jointly create a range of high-tech products and solutions"

— Russian-Chinese cooperation has broad prospects in the field of scientific and technological innovations. How does China plan to strengthen cooperation in this area?

— Chinese-Russian cooperation in the field of scientific and technological innovations is a key component of practical cooperation between the two countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pay special attention to him. In recent years, the parties have achieved comprehensive, multi-level and large-scale development in this area, and fruitful results have been achieved. This has made a positive contribution to the development of national economies and the improvement of the scientific and technological level of the two countries. In addition, it also played an important role in further deepening Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation in the new era.

Significant potential for cooperation between China and the Russian Federation is observed in such high-tech areas as information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI), microelectronics and semiconductors, as well as civil aircraft. We welcome and expect the active participation of the Russian side in the Chinese initiative to create a World Organization for cooperation in the field of AI. We intend to further deepen bilateral cooperation in the field of AI technology development, industrial development, personnel training and management.

— In which areas will bilateral cooperation help to create competitive products?

— The Chinese side is also ready to jointly deepen cooperation with the Russian side in such areas as semiconductor materials, the design of specialized microcircuits, the development of advanced production processes and the creation of equipment to increase the stability and security of production and distribution chains. We expect that both sides will be able to further integrate their advantages and resources in the field of composite materials, aircraft electronic systems, engine manufacturing, as well as the harmonization of airworthiness standards, and jointly create more competitive aviation products on the international market.

The modern world is undergoing unprecedented changes in a century, and scientific and technological innovations, acting as a key driving force for development, are profoundly reshaping the landscape of global competition and development trends. As the world's leading scientific and technological state, China is ready to work with the Russian side to expand new areas of cooperation in the fields of innovation, fundamental and applied research, strengthen exchanges between scientific personnel, regularly select and implement joint projects, and actively explore new formats of scientific and technological cooperation. We are ready to jointly create a range of high-tech products and solutions that set technological trends, meet market needs and are globally competitive, thus giving a new impetus to bilateral scientific and technological cooperation.

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"The share of settlements in national currencies in bilateral trade already exceeds 95%"

— About 85% of Chinese companies plan to expand their presence in the Russian market in the next 1-2 years. Can we expect Chinese enterprises to enter new industries? How is cooperation developing in the banking sector?

— Under the strategic leadership of the leaders of the two countries, Chinese-Russian trade and economic cooperation continues to deepen and demonstrates high stress tolerance. In the period from January to November, the trade turnover between China and Russia reached $203.67 billion, exceeding the $200 billion mark for the third year in a row. The entry into force of the updated agreement between China and Russia on the promotion and mutual protection of investments provides enterprises of the two countries with a more transparent, fair and stable investment and business environment, as well as reliable institutional guarantees. Chinese enterprises are showing a high interest in the Russian market: entering the Russian market is becoming a noticeable trend.

The financial sector is also an important area of practical cooperation between China and Russia. Currently, the share of settlements in national currencies in bilateral trade already exceeds 95%. Subsidiaries of Chinese banks in Russia are successfully operating. Thus, the practical cooperation of the parties in the field of settlements in national currencies, the banking sector and the capital markets is steadily and steadily developing.

In the future, the parties will further consolidate the favorable dynamics of trade and economic cooperation, identify new growth points in trade, and promote the stable development of financial cooperation. Thus, a more significant contribution is being made to the healthy development of the economies and capital markets of the two countries, bringing even greater benefits to the peoples of China and Russia.

— The project of the Chinese Tiangong orbital station is being successfully implemented. After the commissioning of the Russian space station, do the parties plan to agree on "cross-flights"? Is it possible to implement joint Russian-Chinese projects within the framework of the lunar program?

— Space exploration and the development of space technologies remains the common cause of all mankind, impossible without the close cooperation of all countries of the world. China and Russia have a solid foundation and good traditions in developing space cooperation. The parties jointly promote many large projects, ensure the complementarity of technologies and the sharing of results. China's space Station has consistently adhered to the principles of peaceful use, equality and mutual benefit, and the station is already open for cooperation with many countries, including Russia. The supervisory authorities of the PRC are ready to maintain contacts with the Russian side on issues of deepening cooperation on the space station.

China and Russia have a long tradition of cooperation, particularly in the field of lunar exploration. The parties exchange samples of lunar soil, actively participate in the justification of the construction of an International Scientific Lunar Station, and contribute to the advancement of research by Chinese and Russian scientists on such important issues as the origin of the Moon and the history of its evolution. This clearly demonstrates the high level of mutual trust and cooperation between the two countries in the peaceful use of outer space.

Looking to the future, the parties could develop multi-level practical cooperation in the joint development of key technologies and the harmonization of technical standards in areas such as joint exploration of the Moon's south pole, the study of lunar samples, life support on the Moon and energy support. The Chinese side is ready to work with the Russian side to facilitate the deployment of a lunar power plant within the framework of the International Scientific Lunar Station.

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"We sincerely invite even more friends from Russia to visit China"

— Vladimir Putin recently signed a decree on the introduction of a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens. Is China considering extending the pilot visa-free regime for Russian citizens with regular passports after September 14, 2026? Is the possibility of extending the period of stay without a visa in China being considered?

— The implementation of a mutual visa—free regime between China and Russia is another example of the movement towards each other on the part of the governments and peoples of the two countries, which fully reflects the high level of Sino-Russian relations. This will certainly give a new impetus to the further development of contacts between the peoples of the two countries and stimulate practical cooperation.

We sincerely invite even more friends from Russia to visit China for tourism purposes, to develop business cooperation and participate in humanitarian exchanges, in order to personally experience the energy of dynamic development of modern China and the charm of its rich and long cultural history. At the same time, we are confident that the introduction of a visa-free regime by Russia will make it even easier for Chinese citizens to travel to Russia and allow more friends from China to become more familiar with the natural landscapes, artistic treasures and friendly hospitality of Russia. Thus, the bright page of mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries will be continued.

The Chinese side has consistently sought to facilitate mutual travel between citizens of the two countries, supports the strengthening of contacts between the peoples and, based on a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the visa-free regime, will work with the Russian side to continuously optimize visa policy. This will further create favorable conditions for exchange between the peoples of China and Russia and bring Sino-Russian practical cooperation and humanitarian exchanges to a higher level.