Chinese President Hu Jintao kicked off an eight-day tour of Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine on Sunday. He is scheduled to attend the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit en route to the Kazakh capital, Astana, and will participate in the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

His trip marks the 15th anniversary of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership and the 10th anniversary of both the SCO and the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship.

Sino-Russian relations to be strengthened

Heading into the 15th year of strategic partnership and the 10th anniversary of the treaty of friendship, a document based on the principles of equality, cooperation, mutual aid and international accountability, China and Russia have deepened their political and strategic mutual trust, engaged in high-level exchanges, become major trade partners and worked together to address major international and regional issues. The relationship speeds up the development of the two countries, bringing huge practical benefits to their peoples. More importantly, it also acts as a key factor in guaranteeing a balanced framework for international relations.

President Hu's current visit to Russia is considered a hopeful move to propel the strategic partnership to a higher level. He is going to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

According to Cheng Guoping, China's assistant foreign minister for Eurasian affairs, Hu is expected to accomplish four goals during his tour: creating a blueprint for bilateral development over the next 10 years; enhancing mutual strategic and political trust and support for the core interests of the two countries; exchanging views on further practical cooperation on key issues and communication on important international and regional issues and pushing forward on multipolarization and democratization of the world.

In addition to the speeches that Hu plans to deliver at the anniversaries and the forum, a joint statement pertinent to the two countries' views on the global situation and hot global issues and a series of contracts between the two countries in natural resources and finance are highly anticipated during Hu's stay in Russia, lasting from June 15 to June 18.

Encourage the sustainable development of SCO

Abiding by the "Shanghai Spirit" and New Security Concept, which campaign for mutual trust, benefits, equality, respect for diverse civilizations and mutual development, SCO members—China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – are going to sign the Astana Statement at the organization's 10th anniversary, to be published in a gazette. The statement will become a new guideline for the SCO in the coming years.

What's more, from this June to next, it is China's turn to preside over the SCO. To fulfill its commitments, China will continue to make strategic choices based on the overall interests of SCO members. It is also making plans on fundamental principles such as mutual political trust, mutual cooperation in tackling challenges, threats and security issues, pragmatic coordination, overall sustainable development, and cultural and humanitarian communication. China has proposed to make 2012 a year of friendly relations between SCO nations.

Over the next decade, SCO members will continue to take advantage of the geographic proximity of fellow member nations to improve the regional economy. They will also cooperate on the security issues and expand their cooperation from unified warning systems to coordinated law enforcement efforts. To deepen this cooperation, the members are encouraged to hold a series of relevant events, including non-regular anti-terrorists drills.