President Hu Jintao
and Russian President Vladimir Putin have attended the grand
opening ceremony of the "Year of Russia" in Beijing. And the "Year
of China" will be held in Russia next year. Experts hail the two
big events to be of great significance in promoting
Sino-Russian relations. During the Year of Russia in Beijing,
eight national events and about 200 activities will be unfolded
throughout the year involving political, economic, scientific and
cultural cooperation between the two countries. Sino-Russian
relations are expected to reach an unprecedented high level.
Being different from the "Year of Friendship", "Year of Culture"
and "Year of Youth Friendship" that can be frequently found as
bilateral activities, the "Year of Russia" and the "Year of China"
are quite extraordinary because of the super-high standards and
super-large scale. Not only the supreme leaders of both countries
give their support to the event, governments of different levels
and notable figures also spare no efforts in them. The "Year of
Russia" and the "Year of China" demonstrate the flourishing
Sino-Russian relations based on the aspiration of both countries
for a newly-structured Sino-Russian relations and accumulative
achievements that have been made on bilateral relations in recent
years.
The "Year of Russia" arises from distinctive development of
Sino-Russian relations. Over the past ten more years, the two
countries witnessed a development from mutually friendly states to
constructive partnership, then to the current strategic partnership
as well as good neighbors. The statistics of 2005 itself can easily
demonstrate the blooming friendly relationship between the two
countries.
Last year, the presidents of the two countries held four
meetings and their premiers also met regularly. Economic and trade
cooperation showed strong momentum with the volume of bilateral
trade surged up by 37.1%. Mutual investment between the two
countries continued to increase. The high-tech cooperation is on
the rise. The two countries also held their first joint military
exercise in 2005.
Obviously, the high level interaction between China and Russia
has been manifested in different industries and domains. In the
scenario, the "Year of Russia" and "Year of China" give expression
to the aspiration of both the governments and common people of the
two countries.
Both the "Year of Russia" currently held in Beijing and the
"Year of China " to be held in Moscow next year aim to build a
platform for mutual exchange and cooperation between the two
countries and to promote mutual understanding of their people.
After several decades of isolation between the two countries,
both Chinese and Russians have fallen behind with their knowledge
about each other. Many Russians, although favoring Asian vogue,
have no basic knowledge about Chinese traditions. They also have no
idea on how China has changed with each passing day in the new
era.
Similar with Russians, many Chinese only get their impression on
Russia from some literary and art work of the former Soviet Union
in the 1950s.
Undoubtedly, both countries are witnessing radical changes for
the time being. Only when their people stay on top of their
knowledge and mutual understanding, can the two countries find
common targets and interest in bilateral relations and develop
shoulder to shoulder.
A nine-storied tower rises from a heap of earth; a thousand
miles journey starts with the first step. Both China and Russia
need to keep strengthening the foundation of their bilateral
relations. The consolidated foundation lies in the mutual
understanding between the people of the two countries, the
consensus on the common national interest and the strengthening
friendship and cooperation in frequent contacts.
The Year of Russia will provide bountiful opportunities for
Chinese people to know more about the reviving Russia. And in Year
of China in 2007, Russian people can also access to the updated
knowledge about what's happening in China. Along with the success
of the two events, Sino-Russian relations are expected to reach a
new peak.
The article is written by Senior editor of People's Daily
and translated by People's Daily Online.
(People's Daily Online March 23, 2006)
