SHANGHAI, April 27. /TASS correspondent Andrey Popov/. The alignment of the Eurasian Economic Union's development plans with the Belt and Road Initiative indicates that Russia and China are rethinking Eurasia as a space of shared future, Zheng Runyu, a researcher at the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, told TASS in an interview.

"Eurasia is no longer just a geographical grouping of several countries, it is being reimagined as a large space where mobility, dialogue and joint planning of the future can take place," Zheng Runyu said on the sidelines of a Russian-Chinese conference organized by the Valdai Discussion Club and the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University.

Amid a complex and changing international environment where Western countries are focusing on confrontation and "building walls," China and Russia are paying more attention to "strengthening corridors and building bridges," the expert added.

He stressed that for Russia and China, Eurasia is a space for mutually beneficial cooperation. The interaction between the two states on the continent helps establish a more just and equitable international order. This is an effective practical way to build a "Greater Eurasian Partnership," Zheng Runyu noted. Moscow and Beijing are thinking about how to connect infrastructure, build industrial chains and coordinate energy and food security in the region, the expert said.

"In the current international situation full of uncertainty, many countries are worried that they will have to take sides among major powers," Zheng Runyu stated. "The integration of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union provides a new opportunity: we can better shape the destiny of our own development through specific projects and specific channels on the basis of respect for each other's sovereignty and security interests," he went on to say.

Moscow and Beijing are together thinking about how to make the Eurasian continent more stable and less confrontational. "All of this gives the strategic cooperation between China and Russia a deeper historical significance," Zheng Runyu concluded.

About the conference

A conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University is taking place in Shanghai. The opening ceremony was held on April 27. More than 40 experts from Russia and China are taking part in the event.