President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,
The history of relations between Russia and China goes back many centuries. We sincerely cherish the long tradition of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation that we have enjoyed.
This year we are celebrating a special anniversary: 60 years ago, the very day after the People's Republic of China was declared, the Soviet Union was the first to recognise the new state. Diplomatic relations between the two neighbouring countries were established. Looking back on these events today and taking into account the full extent of our cooperation, we see what enormous significance these events had, and we get a real sense of how the cooperation between the world’s two largest countries has been and remains a vastly important geostrategic factor in the world.
Today, relations between Russia and China are on the rise. Our countries have worked out new ways of working together, new sorts of cooperation. Their essential component is the spirit of autonomy and equality that characterise our contacts in every area. This seamless integration is very important for today's Russia and for modern China.
In recent years we have been particularly active in promoting political dialogue, increasing the scope of our cooperation and coordinating our efforts in international affairs. Our strategic partnership is the result of all this perseverance and hard work. Relations between China and Russia are self-sustaining and self-sufficient. They are also flexible enough to enable us to resolve the most difficult problems in a constructive way. An obvious example is the final settlement of the border issue.
Having analysed our relations since 1992, I have come to the conclusion that such relations are best described as exemplary. And this is important not only for our countries but for the world at large. This unique sort of good-neighbourliness and friendship between two great powers has made a significant contribution to the formation of a new world order, the strengthening of multipolarity, and the development of respect for those states intent on national development, in compliance with international law. I believe that our experience in reaching agreement on the most difficult issues should be extensively disseminated and recognised as a gift to all humankind.
Let me mention one other thing. Our inter-governmental relations have gone from being the traditional fief of professional politicians and diplomats to something that truly belongs to our peoples. The intergovernmental committee on cultural cooperation is both active and effective, as is the Russian-Chinese Friendship Peace and Development Committee. Our businessmen have also made an important contribution to the development of our relations.
The expansion of the social base of our partnership has contributed to large-scale bilateral projects and the Years of Russia and China. I firmly believe that a new cultural initiative, the Years of Russian and Chinese, will meet with the same great success. All this bears witness to the very high level of interest we have in one another, and that the key to continuing good relations is expanding contacts between our young people.
Our strategic partnership also manifests itself in cooperation between Russia and China in international affairs, which is an important aspect of ensuring peace and security in the world and an effective means of confronting serious challenges. We have similar positions on various issues, including those associated with the effects of the current global financial crisis. And most importantly, we understand that joint decisions and consolidated action are what is most important now.
Dear friends, in Russia the celebration of a 60th anniversary or birthday is considered one of life’s most important milestones. I know that in the Chinese tradition 60 years marks the end of a regular calendar cycle and the beginning of a new one. I am confident that this anniversary in our bilateral relations symbolises their maturity and marks the moment of our transition to a new level of cooperation. It is also a good occasion to take stock and to look to the future. It is this future that we will be building in the decades to come.
To celebrate the anniversary of our establishing diplomatic relations our countries are preparing a whole range of festive events. Today's opening of the festival of Chinese culture, which has been organised to coincide with the current visit of the President Hu Jintao, is of course a splendid start for the celebrations.
Dear friends, in conclusion, I would like to say that we in Russia are ready to expand relations with China on all fronts. Everything is in place to make this happen: political will, relations of trust between the leaders of our nations, a sound contractual and regulatory framework, mutual bonds between our peoples, links between our cultures and economies and our basic agreement on major international issues. Finally, we have the spirit of neighbourliness, which is seamlessly linked with a desire to get things done and respect for our mutual interests.
Once again I congratulate everyone on this anniversary. Thank you for your attention.
President of People’S Republic of China Hu Jintao (as translated from Russian): Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
The reason for our meeting in this world famous national theatre in Russia is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. Let me take this opportunity on behalf of the Government and people of China to convey to all present and to the friendly Russian people whom you represent my most cordial greetings and best wishes.
We have listened with great interest to President Medvedev’s speech in which he outlined his vision of how Sino-Russian relations have progressed and their future prospects. Let me say immediately that I fully share his views. It is true that during these 60 years Sino-Russian relations have been far from simple, but our political relations have gradually matured over the past 60 years. A qualitatively new relationship began to emerge in April 1996, when the political leadership of our two nations, taking into account the fundamental interests of our peoples and the imperatives of the time, came up with a profoundly new conception of Chinese-Russian relations, and decided to establish a relationship of partnership and strategic cooperation. We are pleased to say that following this ten-year development period the Sino-Russian partnership and our strategic interaction have become more mature, stable and healthy, and political trust between us has reached a historically high level.
These 60 years were years of rapid development of bilateral cooperation in practical areas. Actively leading the search for new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation, we increased the scale of our trade and economic ties in both qualitative and quantitative terms. In particular, in the last ten years there has been a steady and rapid growth of trade, which last year amounted to 56.8 billion USD. Mutual investments and the creation of joint ventures constitute new areas of cooperation. Inter-regional cooperation is gaining momentum.
These 60 years have been years of uninterrupted friendship between the Chinese and Russian peoples. Our most precious asset has been, is and will forever remain our historic mutual affinity and the bonds established between us during the war years. In recent years we have witnessed the rise of new cultural contacts between our two countries. The success of the national theme years and large-scale implementation of the Years of Chinese and Russian languages will help bring our two peoples closer together. I want to emphasise in particular that after the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province the Russian people did everything they could to help the victims. At the invitation of President Medvedev 1,500 Chinese children came to live in Russia. The noble deeds and friendly gestures of the Russian people deeply touched us in China and marked a new stage in the history of friendship between our two peoples.
These 60 years have been years of continuous development and international cooperation. For many years, Chinese and Russian diplomatic efforts have worked tirelessly to ensure peace and stability in the world. In recent years, by extending collaboration and coordinating positions on ways to resolve international and regional issues, we have made persistent efforts to create a multipolar world and to democratise international relations. Sino-Russian relations are indeed an important factor in the positive interaction between the major players in world politics and for the preservation of peace and stability in the world.
These 60 years of Chinese-Russian relations allow us to draw important and profound conclusions, namely: the continuous expansion of our political relations is possible only through mutual trust; the greatest benefits and our mutual prosperity can only be achieved by the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual interest; we will only be able to effectively protect our fundamental interests on vital issues through mutual understanding and support. Finally, only by concentrating on all the things we share, the common ground, and leaving our differences aside and resolving them through friendly consultations, can we ensure the long-term development of our relations in a healthy and stable way.
Ladies and gentlemen, today’s world is undergoing great changes. Multipolarity and economic globalisation are increasing, the financial crisis is deepening, new problems and challenges arise. As major powers, neighbouring countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia face a major challenge of domestic development and bear a historical responsibility for peace and development worldwide. Sino-Russian relations are entering a new historical era with new opportunities. It is necessary to formulate their promising programme together and promote the full-value and dynamic development of bilateral ties.
It is important to maintain mutual trust and strengthen the political foundation of Chinese-Russian relations; it is necessary to improve credibility, always give our strategic partnership a priority position in the foreign policy of our countries, and give a new impetus to bilateral relations.
It is important to always be guided by the principle of mutual benefit and win-win relations and to strengthen the economic basis of our relations. We need to maintain our good dynamic of multifaceted practical cooperation, find new ways and forms of cooperation, and find new common ground with a view to deepening economic development and promoting common prosperity.
It is important to implement the idea of an eternal friendship between China and Russia and strengthen the social foundation of our bilateral relations. We need to intensify contacts between the citizens of China and Russia in order to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples. In this regard, the Government of China will invite a thousand Russian children to spend their vacation in summer camps in China next year. I am sure that such events help continue the Sino-Russian friendship.
It is important to continue with close cooperation in order to protect our strategic security, strengthen mutual support, hold intensive consultations and interact on international and regional affairs, respond adequately to the global financial crisis, and take active part in reforming the world's political, economic and security structures. In short, we will work with the international community and make unremitting efforts for peace and human development.
The Chinese-Russian strategic partnership is reaching new heights. Let us continue our traditional friendship, friendship that will last forever, deepen strategic cooperation, and employ joint efforts to create a bright future for our relations.
Thank you for your attention.