China's upcoming military parade as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin's attendance at China's Victory Day ceremony show both countries' firm will to safeguard post-war world order, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said in Moscow on Tuesday.[Special coverage]
On Sept. 3, China will hold the Victory Day parade in its capital Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II (WWII) and the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
Li said both China and Russia made historic contributions to the world's anti-fascism war and played an important role in efforts to reconstruct the post-war international order, becoming the defender of world peace and stability, as well as a guard, builder of and contributor to a just and fair new international order.
Li said China could not have won the victory over Japanese invasion without the support from all peace-loving countries and people in the world. The Soviet Union was the first to assist the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression. Such Western countries as the United States and Canada also lent great support, while anti-fascist fighters from Korea, Vietnam, India and some East European countries directly took part in China's war against Japanese aggression.
"The Chinese people will not forget those countries and people who gave them moral, material and other support in the wartime," he said.
Li said Putin's visit and his upcoming meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping show that the bilateral relationship enjoys a high and special status featuring mutual support and understanding on major issues.
Recalling the fruitful achievements made during the previous meetings of the two leaders, Li said Chinese and Russian foreign ministries are implementing the two countries' decision to conjoin their national development strategies, particularly to integrate China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) framework.p Li also listed other ongoing projects on transportation infrastructure, gas pipeline construction, regional and cross-border cooperation, finance and investment, as well as cultural exchanges.
Current cooperation projects should mainly focus on the construction of a high-speed transportation corridor from Beijing to Moscow, a gas and oil pipeline network, as well as the development of Russia's Far East region, Li said.
He also suggested optimizing the China-Russia trade and investment structure, and strengthening financial cooperation using financing mechanisms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund.
Li further called for establishing as soon as possible a dialogue mechanism and platform on linking the Silk Road initiative and the EAEU in order to achieve the long-term goal of constructing the China-EAEU free trade area.
