Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday departs for a state visit to Russia, a trip that is set to further cement the partnership between the two large neighboring countries.[Special coverage]
Given the myriad challenges beleaguering today's world and the important role China and Russia play in international affairs, the visit is also set to boost confidence in global strategic stability.
In Moscow, Xi and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will meet for the third time this year, hold extensive talks, and witness the signing of a series of bilateral cooperation deals.
The two leaders are expected to deepen political mutual trust, promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation in all fields, and chart the course for the future development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.
The vigor of bilateral cooperation can be easily traced. China has been Russia's largest trading partner, while Russia-made electro-machines and other high-tech products make up a large part of China's import market.
Statistics show that bilateral trade surpassed 32 billion U.S. dollars in the first five months of 2017, up 26 percent from the same period last year. Progress has also been made in major projects like the manufacturing of long-range wide-body aircraft and the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railroad.
In addition, the increasingly close alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union provides an excellent springboard for boosting economic cooperation both between China and Russia and across the region.
Besides energizing their own and regional development, the two sides also set an example of major-country relations for the world. They respect each other's core interests, pursue win-win cooperation, and commit themselves to safeguarding world peace and stability.
As both presidents have pointed out, the two countries' active communication and coordination as well as mutual support on major international issues have become important stabilizing factors for the world.
At a time when the global strategic stability is faced with a raft of severe challenges, including surging protectionism, feeble global economic recovery, an obsolete world governance system and rampant terrorist threats, that is particularly significant.
Given that, the latest stroke of top-level diplomacy between China and Russia also serves as a reflection of the sense of responsibility on the part of the two international heavyweights.
And their contribution as stabilizer of global stability should be acknowledged and followed by others on the world stage.
