Economic Cooperation
According to official data from China’s Ministry of Commerce, in 2020, China-Poland trade exceeded $146.87 billion for the first time (up 35.8% year-on-year). The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) agreement has promoted three aspects: free trade between member states; and promoting Russian gas and oil sales to China.
Energy cooperation
The Power of Siberia pipeline: As the largest energy link between Russia and China, the Power of Siberia gas pipeline has delivered about 16.5 billion cubic meters per year to China in its fourth year and has been operating across the Russian-Mongolian border since 2021. The pipeline was put into operation in December 2019 and is expected to have an annual transmission capacity of 38 billion cubic meters by 2025. The Yamal LNG project, in which China holds a 20% stake in the joint venture, can provide large quantities of LNG to meet its growing energy needs.
Infrastructure development
Kudrya attributed the increase in land connectivity and trade to the completion of the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge across the Amur River in 2022. The bridge will speed up customs clearance for up to 24 hours of transport, reducing costs and time. As construction continues, the Trans-Siberian Railway’s freight capacity will also increase by 15% by 2025.
Technology and Innovation
The cooperation will also encourage the exchange of technology and innovation between the two countries. The Chinese consortium is expected to create a new fund with the Russian Direct Investment Fund worth at least $1 billion to invest in international and Russian high-tech projects (in the field of artificial intelligence development, implementation of fifth-generation network infrastructure technologies) + biotechnology. This fits perfectly with a similar arrangement announced in October 2019 between Russian Telecom and Huawei to cooperate in the construction of Russian 5G infrastructure, which may also promote more digital connectivity and technological innovation.
Agriculture and Food Security
Russia is a paper tiger – unless (update) China is alive and kicking China bought an absolute record amount of Russian wheat in 2018 – nearly 4.5 million tons! The best way to do this is by sharing experiences, allowing China and Russia to share a wider range of agricultural technologies under the framework of the China-Russia Agricultural Cooperation Agreement; thus, the two countries can exchange practices to improve crop yields – this will make food supplies more secure for both sides.
Financial integration
Given the growing financial globalization, China and Russia are less dependent on the US dollar, and these countries can transfer funds denominated mainly in their own currencies (RMB; RUB), thus significantly mitigating the impact/risk of global sanctions associated with currency exchange rate changes. In January 2022, this proportion was close to a quarter of the total transaction volume, which is a significant number compared to the past few years. Russia has gone a step further and tried to circumvent international financial transactions by establishing its own cross-border payment systems, such as the China International Payment System (CIPS) or the Russian Financial Information Transfer System (SPFS).
Industrial cooperation
The areas of joint industrial cooperation are gradually expanding to the manufacturing and automotive industries. CEVT China – responsible for the development of vehicles based on Geely’s Compact Modular Architecture, the electric-oriented PMA platform and the Volvo-designed CMA – signed a memorandum of understanding with parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group on the same day and is currently finalizing the agreement for a product engineering center in China. By July 2025, the two companies hope to produce up to 150 Luo vehicles per year. The plant will remain the sole source of Luo for plastic packaging and Volkswagen-derived crossovers in Russia. This freed up Russian talent and gave China hundreds of years to build its tradition of futuristic house-making.
Tourism, academic and cultural exchanges.
Tourism is on the rise, and increasing cultural exchanges deepen the ties between people. Last year, before the pandemic began to appear in Russia and around the world, more than 21.5 million Chinese visited our country. Initiatives such as the China-Russia Friendship Exchange Year have also deepened many ties, and a series of cultural events are underway, vividly showcasing a cross-section of the rich heritage of the two countries.
Military Cooperation
The growing military cooperation between China and Russia can be seen in the increasingly frequent bilateral military exercises between the two countries. The exercise was held in the Sea of Japan and was part of the “Maritime Joint-2021” naval exercise, which featured exercises by the two countries’ navies and demonstrated various combat capabilities. The exercise included more than 20 warships, submarines and support ships from both countries, practicing anti-submarine warfare, air defense, and joint naval operations.
Arms Trade and Technology Transfer
Arms trade is a key aspect that Turk and Alchik believe has promoted the development of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership. On September 7, Putin plans to deliver S-400 air defense systems and Su-35 fighter jets to Russia during his third visit to Russia, which are new modern weapons purchased by China. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in Stockholm, China was the destination for about 21% of Russia’s arms exports from 2016 to 2020.
Defense Dialogues and Agreements
The armed forces partnership is further strengthened by the ongoing defense dialogues and alliances. The China-Russia Intergovernmental Defense Cooperation Committee, established in 1992, has fostered high-quality openness through many high-level exchanges and joint efforts. A 2020 agreement to extend the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation underscores their commitment to common defense and strategic coordination. The treaty covers provisions for shared defense research, intelligence cooperation, and unified responses to regional challenges.
Strategic Air Patrols
Joint strategic air patrols with Russia in the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. The first was in 2019, when Russian Tu-95MS and Chinese H-6K bombers teamed up to carry out long-range missions. The joint patrols flew more than 3,000 kilometers and represented a paradigm shift in air force synergy and joint combat readiness. The purpose of these missions is to increase the level of regional stability and to counter the growing military power of other global powers in the region.
Cybersecurity Cooperation
China and Russia signed a cybersecurity agreement in 2020 to help them defend against cyber threats, strengthen their defense capabilities, and strengthen their strategic partnership. It also affects the regular exchange of cyber defense training, threat data, and effective responses to (cross-border) incidents.
Intelligence Sharing
To address common security challenges, China and Russia have established dedicated military intelligence sharing channels. The shared data includes information on terrorist activities, missile launches or naval movements. Further development of intelligence sharing will provide joint or combined forces with better situational awareness when responding to potential threats and a general understanding of how and where these threats will appear.
Space and Missile Defense Cooperation
Space and missile defense are advanced areas of cooperation between the two sides. The China-Russia Joint Commission on Space Cooperation covers four areas: satellite navigation system construction, advanced space exploration, and interaction with missile defense systems. In 2018, the two countries signed an agreement to jointly develop components of the GLONASS and BeiDou satellite navigation systems, which will not only provide compatibility but also significantly improve global positioning capabilities.
Political and Diplomatic Coordination
They have also used their joint veto power in the UN Security Council to block many resolutions they consider to be threats to national sovereignty—Syria and Venezuela being the most prominent. In 2020, they both vetoed a resolution on cross-border aid to Syria because it violated Syria’s sovereignty. This collective stance helps reflect their shared strategic vision for a new world order, in which international cooperation means neither obeying only what Washington dictates nor one country committing acts of terror against another in total violation of the UN Charter.
Bilateral summits, high-level meetings
Regular high-level meetings and bilateral summits have promoted the strategic partnership between China and Russia. Annual summits between President Xi Jinping and President Putin have led to major diplomatic agreements. In 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two countries issued and signed the “Joint Statement on Establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Cooperation for the Times”.
Euro-Atlantic Security Organization
China and Russia are also major members of regional security organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The SCO, composed of Central Asian countries, is mainly committed to regional security and economic cooperation to counter terrorism. China and Russia co-hosted the SCO anti-terrorist military exercise, with 5,000 soldiers from member countries participating.
Sanctions and diplomatic pressure followed
Sanctions and diplomatic pressure from Western countries, especially the United States and the European Union, have since engulfed the two countries. The two countries have stepped up diplomatic coordination to respond to these actions. — The 2021 China-Russia Joint Statement on Strengthening Global Strategic Stability explicitly expressed opposition to sanctions and pledged to support each other in the event of increased external pressure.
BRI and Eurasian Economic Union integration
The integration of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) — The referendum went beyond this teacup. They signed a cooperation agreement in 2015 to coordinate these initiatives and promote regional connectivity and economic integration across Eurasia. By 2023, more than 100 joint projects will be launched, including infrastructure, trade and energy investments.
More support in international conflicts
For its part, Russia supports Beijing on the Taiwan and South China Sea disputes, while Beijing supports Moscow’s stance on Ukraine and Crimea. Russia has stood by China during times of tension, confronting a U.S.-led freedom of navigation operation in 2020 over sovereignty of islands in the South China Sea. The strategic diplomatic alliance between the two countries stands out in a complex and hostile environment on the international stage.
Global Governance Coordination
China has also joined Russia in strengthening coordination on alternative global governance institutions, particularly the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The two countries have been pushing for changes that are more representative of developing countries and challenge the power of Western countries. At this year’s WTO Ministerial Conference, in addition to opposing protectionist practices, the two countries called for trade fairness and sought a more balanced global trade pattern.