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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the final stage of the China-Russia Years of Culture. Over the past year, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, entering a new era, continued to deepen, achieving significant achievements in areas such as political trust, economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. As we enter the new year, the Europe and Asia Broadcasting Center of the People's Republic of China Foreign Language Literature Publication and Distribution Administration (Renmin Huabao), together with the Institute of Russia, East European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the editorial board of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, are publishing this article to summarize the most important developments in China-Russia relations.
1. Two meetings between heads of state have strengthened mutual understanding, and the 80-year commitment to peace remains unchanged.
On the morning of May 8, local time, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin. Following the meeting, the two leaders signed a Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Further Deepening Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation in the New Era, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Chinese People's Victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and the founding of the United Nations (photo: Xinhua).
Heads of government diplomacy serves as a stabilizing anchor in Sino-Russian relations and the most significant stabilizing factor in countering any uncertainty. In 2025, under the strategic leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sino-Russian relations reached a high level, vast scale, and excellent quality of development. The leaders of the two countries, jointly participating in events commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II, held two in-depth exchanges of views, and, together, based on the sweeping changes of the century, set the direction and charted the future of Sino-Russian relations, ensuring stability and certainty for the entire world.
2. Meeting of the heads of China and Russia at the SCO summit in Tianjin. The "Shanghai Spirit" guides multilateral mutually beneficial cooperation.
On the morning of September 1, the 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin. Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired the meeting and delivered a keynote speech on the theme "Remaining True to Our Original Mission for a Brighter Future." A group photo of the SCO heads of state and heads of its permanent bodies attending the meeting (Photo: Xinhua)
From August 31 to September 1, 2025, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit was held in Tianjin, marking the largest since its founding. During the summit, the leaders of the SCO member states signed and published the Tianjin Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, which marked an important step for the organization in responding to international and regional challenges and deepening cooperation among its member states.
3. Active high-level contacts between China and Russia give strong impetus to comprehensive strategic cooperation
On November 3, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin co-chaired the 30th regular meeting of the heads of government of China and Russia in Hangzhou (photo: Xinhua)
Under the strategic leadership of the two heads of state, active and close high-level contacts are maintained. Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Ding Xuexiang, and other Chinese dignitaries visited Russia, while more than a dozen Russian political figures, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, visited China. Parliamentary and inter-party exchanges were also active. The two sides discussed in-depth the comprehensive implementation of the agreements reached by the heads of state, strengthening the alignment of development strategies, and expanding cooperation in all areas, infusing inexhaustible energy into the process of strengthening the Sino-Russian comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation as we enter a new era.
4. Visa-free travel and mutual aspirations open a “fast lane” for bringing peoples closer together
On September 15, Russian tourists arriving from the Heihe Port of Water Transport and Tourism Inspection in Heilongjiang Province enter the border and customs control building following the introduction of the visa-free regime (photo by Xinhua).
In 2025, the leaders of China and Russia announced a trial visa-free regime for citizens of both countries, marking yet another example of the "mutual desire to meet halfway" between the governments of China and Russia. The visa-free regime is expected to significantly increase tourist flows, intensify humanitarian and technological exchanges, facilitate business travel, and fully unlock the potential for cooperation between China and Russia in all areas.
5. Trade turnover between China and Russia has exceeded $200 billion for the third year in a row.
On July 7, visitors view exhibits at the 9th China-Russia Expo at the Yekaterinburg-EXPO International Exhibition Center in Yekaterinburg (photo by Liu Kai)
Bilateral trade has remained stable: from January to November 2025, trade turnover between China and Russia reached $203.67 billion, exceeding the $200 billion mark for the third consecutive year. The trade structure is constantly being optimized, with rapidly growing volumes of new products, such as biotechnology products and aviation and space technology. The composition of trade participants is becoming more diverse: from January to October alone, over 3,300 new Chinese enterprises were registered in Russia. Institutional mechanisms are demonstrating their effectiveness: the signing and entry into force of the new version of the Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments provides more reliable institutional guarantees for investment activities by enterprises from both countries.
6. From speeding up freight trains to developing international road transport: China-Russia logistics cooperation has reached a new level.
Border and immigration officers at Erlian Checkpoint in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region inspect the 110,000th train of the China-Europe Express on June 12, 2025. (Photo by Xinhua)
According to the communiqué following the 30th regular meeting of the heads of government of China and Russia, in 2025, both sides agreed on practical measures in the field of logistics: improving the transfer of trains at checkpoints to increase foreign trade freight turnover at railway checkpoints between China and Russia, facilitating the resumption of cross-border passenger train service; developing Sino-Russian international road transport, expanding the range of hazardous goods transported by road, promoting cooperation in the field of cross-border automated transportation of goods; progressively expanding cooperation in new logistics services, such as organizing the delivery of products to warehouses and the transportation of heavy cargo; consistently expanding the range of services provided and increasing their efficiency in order to better serve the population and businesses using various forms of postal delivery.
7. Cooperation in the field of agriculture, plant and animal protection creates new prospects for the joint development of agriculture and ecology
Students from Russia's Far Eastern State Agrarian University undergo an internship at the China-Russia Forestry Scientific and Technological Cooperation Park (photo courtesy of the Heihe City Administration of Ecology and Environment)
In 2025, China and Russia strengthened cooperation in agriculture, covering the entire production chain. The two sides are promoting joint investment projects in agricultural production, processing, and storage, sharing achievements in areas such as germplasm resource research, veterinary drug and vaccine development, and strengthening cooperation in soybean seed supplies and white broiler breeding. Furthermore, the countries are stepping up joint efforts to protect species such as the Amur tiger and snow leopard, continuing to promote cooperation in the conservation of giant pandas and golden monkeys, and deepening exchanges of experience and mutual learning in protected areas.
8. The 6th China-Russia Media Forum was held in Beijing, opening a new future for media cooperation.
The 6th China-Russia Media Forum (photo by Xu Zichen)
On December 16, the 6th China-Russia Media Forum was held in Beijing. Li Shulei, member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the event and delivered the keynote speech. Approximately 140 officials from relevant agencies and media representatives from both countries participated in the forum. During the event, the parties signed 11 documents on deepening cooperation between Chinese and Russian media.
9. The China-Russia Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development has completed the process of changing its composition, and the work of the new convocation of the committee is being carried out in a regular and effective manner.
In 2025, the China-Russia Committee for Friendship, Peace, and Development completed its regular quadrennial membership change. Li Hongzhong, a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, replaced Xia Baolong as the Chinese chairman, while Boris Titov remained the Russian chairman.
In September 2025, the 15th plenary session of the committee was successfully held in Russia, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sending congratulatory messages. In December 2025, a plenary session of the Chinese part of the committee was held in Beijing, where tasks for 2026 were identified. The committee continues to promote friendly exchanges and practical cooperation between the peoples of the two countries in various fields, continually strengthening public support for Sino-Russian relations.
10. The Years of Chinese and Russian Culture concluded successfully, and the celebration of the arts created a bridge for cultural dialogue.
On November 17, at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, during the closing ceremony of the Years of China-Russia Culture (photo by Xinhua)
On November 17, the closing ceremony of the China-Russia Years of Culture took place at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Hundreds of events were organized as part of the Years of Culture, including mutual visits by artistic groups, cultural and museum cooperation, cultural fairs, and other events. These included a tour of the Mariinsky Theater and the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia to China, a joint exhibition by the National Museum of China and the State Tretyakov Gallery, "Reflections on the Banks of the Neva: The Art of Repin," the unveiling of a bust of Lu Xun at the M. I. Rudomino All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature, and other events that effectively contributed to mutual cultural enrichment and deepened understanding between the peoples of the two countries.
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