SHANGHAI, July 16. /TASS/. The cooperation between Moscow and Beijing will steadily reach new and higher levels amid profound shifts in the global landscape, Liu Jun, Professor, Deputy Director of the Center for Russian Studies, East China Normal University, told TASS in an interview.
"Amid deep shifts in the current international environment, China-Russia relations will only move forward and will not regress, with the cooperation between the two countries intensifying rather than stagnating," the professor noted, commenting on the anniversary of the Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, which was signed on July 16, 2001. He expressed confidence that mutual trust between Moscow and Beijing will strengthen in the future. Under the current leadership of both nations, this trust has reached an unprecedented level, the expert emphasized.
Liu Jun stressed that the aforementioned treaty plays a significant role in the development of long-term, stable relations between China and Russia. From a legal perspective, the document guarantees a legacy of friendship passed down through generations and the absence of hostility between the two states, he continued. "Since its signing, the treaty has played a key role in promoting and ensuring the sustained development of Russia-China relations, their comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation," the expert noted. The 2021 extension of the treaty underscores its crucial role and significance, Liu Jun added.
In 2001, Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between China and Russia. The treaty confirms the renunciation of any territorial claims between the two countries, reflecting both parties’ commitment to the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. It encompasses a wide range of spheres, from security and military cooperation to trade and economic partnerships, as well as humanitarian exchanges and environmental protection. According to the Russian leader, the treaty serves as a foundation for a broader expansion of the entire spectrum of bilateral relations between Moscow and Beijing.