Zakharova called the friendship between Russia and China genuine and equal

The friendship between Russia and China is genuine and equal. This was stated on July 16 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, as part of the educational project "Good Neighbors", dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Treaty on Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between Russia and China.

"There is an exception on the political map of the world — genuine, equal friendship. This is how we see relations between Russia and China," Zakharova said.

According to her, Moscow and Beijing are today showing the world a rare example of an equal and respectful partnership. It was the 2001 Treaty that became the solid foundation without which friendship between Russia and China would have been impossible. He gave the relations of states a form, structure, clear rules, and set a very high standard for cooperation between major global actors.

The diplomat noted that such rules allow millions of people in Russia and China to feel the real benefits of the countries' friendship in the economy, tourism, opportunities to do business, study, develop, and make plans for the years ahead. The representative of the department particularly drew attention to the joint history of the states and stressed that the duration of Russian-Chinese relations even exceeds the existence of a number of major world powers.

"The most striking historical example of our friendship, of course, is the joint struggle of the peoples of our countries during the Second World War, or the world anti-fascist war, as it is known in China. Back then, Soviet and Chinese soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder against imperial, imperialist, militaristic Japan and its puppet state of Manchukuo under the leadership of Pu Yi," Zakharova recalled.

She added that the peoples of Russia and China suffered enormous losses in the war and achieved Victory together, forever consolidating friendship and laying the foundation for further cooperation. In addition to history, the friendship between Russia and China is based on trust. This also applies to eliminating possible lines of misunderstanding, which can have a destructive effect on the stability and constructiveness of bilateral relations. The diplomat cited the sixth article of the Treaty, in which Moscow and Beijing confirmed that they had no mutual territorial claims, and also fixed the status quo at the border at that time.

"The parties confirmed their intention to turn the joint border into a belt of eternal peace and friendship, passed down from generation to generation, and also paved the way for further negotiation process. The final settlement of this issue was marked by the ratification in 2005 of the Additional Agreement between the Russian-Chinese state border on its eastern part," the representative of the department said.

In addition, the countries agreed on confidence-building measures in the military field, which included the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area on the basis of existing agreements. At the same time, as the diplomat noted, open communication is also an important part of trust, and the 2001 Treaty provides for a mechanism for consultation if a situation arises that could endanger peace or affect the security interests of one of the parties.

Zakharova called the third element of Russian-Chinese friendship mutual respect, which cannot be bought, imposed or beaten out by force, but can only be built. The articles of the treaty, as the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized, clearly state that the parties are guided by this principle, respect the choice of the path of political, economic, social and cultural development of each other, and in practice this translates into the unbreakable commitment of Russia and China to the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

"We recognize each other's scale, respect our own development paths, do not lecture each other and do not impose any models... It is worth noting here our common commitment to international law and the central role of the United Nations," she said.

The fourth category of friendship between Russia and China is time. So, friendship between states is about long—term, strategic relations. Article 25 of the Treaty between the countries states that the document is valid for 20 years and is automatically extended for subsequent five-year periods if neither side notifies in advance of its intention to terminate it, that is, it is a system designed for a generation. And this system is working, because five years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping officially announced the extension of the Agreement in accordance with this article, emphasizing its historical and practical significance.

Zakharova also drew attention to the economic component of Russian-Chinese relations and stated that the trade turnover of the two countries exceeds $200 billion. At the same time, in December 2024, the Power of Siberia gas pipeline was brought to its maximum design capacity of 38 billion cubic meters. This confirms that the economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is now a mature and stable architecture that works for the benefit of the peoples of the countries and sets a solid horizon for further growth.

Interstate relations in the technological sphere are also actively developing: in March 2021, Russia and China signed a memorandum on the creation of a lunar station, which should become the most important scientific platform for conducting fundamental space research. To date, 13 foreign countries have joined the project. Another important topic for citizens of the Russian Federation and China is tourism. In 2000, an intergovernmental agreement on visa-free group tourist trips was concluded.

"It allowed tourists in groups to visit Russia or China without a visa for a certain period of time, which became an important tool for increasing the mutual tourist flow. But since last year, a visa—free regime has been in effect between Russia and China, which has allowed our countries to open up to each other as much as possible and bring relations to a qualitatively new level," the diplomat said.

The representative of the Ministry stressed that the joint work of the states is supported by a unique mechanism that includes regular contacts between leaders, meetings of heads of government and the work of five intergovernmental commissions at the level of deputy prime ministers. According to the diplomat, cooperation is also actively developing through inter-parliamentary and interregional channels.

"The friendship between Russia and China consists of carefully preserved historical memory, the highest degree of trust and unwavering respect for each other, long-term commitments and real deeds that benefit not only the state, but also citizens, as well as the entire world community," Zakharova concluded.

The "Good Neighbors" project was prepared by ON Media Holding together with Sputnik Radio, the Media Corporation of China (CMG) and the Izvestia TV channel.

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On June 5, during the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said that Russia has equal relations with China and other partners. The Russian leader also called the cooperation between Moscow and Beijing very close and mutually beneficial.

Vice President of the People's Republic of China Han Zheng, in turn, noted that the joint cooperation between China and Russia is steadily growing. The development of Russian-Chinese relations and the deepening of ties in all areas really contribute to the development of each of the two countries, he noted.