"Guilin's scenery is peerless in the world, and the high level of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is also the best in the world."
This is how Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi commented on China-Russia relations after he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in China's southern city of Guilin. It is also an apt description of the relationship between the two countries amid a time of turbulence.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. Over the past 20 years, this treaty has laid a solid legal foundation for the long-term and healthy development of China-Russia relations.
One of the most important results of the meeting between Wang and Lavrov in Guilin is an agreement to renew the treaty between the two sides and to make it more relevant in the new era.
The meeting has also demonstrated the new heights, new ideas and new results of China-Russia cooperation.
The Guilin meeting is of particular importance against the backdrop of a lingering pandemic and growing global uncertainties. It is also a further confirmation of the commitment of the two countries to strengthening bilateral relations.
The reason why China-Russia relations have withstood the test of changes in international situation and become a stable force in today's world lies in the fact that the two sides always pursue a principle of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of third parties.
Besides, they always respect each other's core interests and accommodate each other's legitimate concerns, always act responsibly and uphold justice, and firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law.
Just as Lavrov said ahead of his trip to China, "the model of interaction between Russia and China is absolutely free from any ideological constraints. It is of an intrinsic nature, not subject to any opportunistic factors nor against any third country."
In the spirit of such principles, cooperation between China and Russia has injected valuable stability and positive energy into the global community.
As two permanent members of the UN Security Council, the two sides also shoulder their due responsibilities in safeguarding security and development of the international community, and promoting the improvement of the current global governance system.
After the talks in Guilin, the two sides issued a joint statement on several issues of current global governance, expounding the essence of major concepts such as human rights, democracy, international order, and multilateralism, which reflected the collective demands of the international community, especially developing countries.
The more unstable the world is, the greater the need for closer China-Russia cooperation. China and Russia should continue to work together and turn their relationship into a pillar of world peace and stability.
