Russia is China's neighbor and a complex partner. Historically and in reality, there have been subtle changes in the relations between China and Russia. Under the influence of the Ukraine crisis, Sino-Russian relations have made new developments.
On December 19-20, 2023, Russian Prime Minister Mishustin visited China, held the 28th regular meeting with the Chinese premier, and was warmly received by the Chinese leader. During the meeting, China and Russia reached an agreement on strengthening cooperation in the economic, energy, and investment fields.
Since the end of the Cold War, China and Russia have maintained relatively stable relations. However, Russia has always considered itself part of Europe, with deep cultural and historical roots in the West.
Despite its self-proclaimed "double-headed eagle", Russia's strategic priorities are clearly biased towards the West. Therefore, China and Russia have always been in a state of "political heat and economic coldness". However, now the situation has changed, and Russia is increasingly inclined to move towards the east in full, towards China.
One of the important reasons for this is the problem of oil and gas. Due to the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, Russian oil and gas exports to Europe were seriously hampered, so Russia began to turn to the Chinese market.
On December 20, 2023, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced that Russia had launched the "Vostok Oil" project to China in October, and China is currently evaluating the project.
According to Russia's plan, they will establish a new oil and gas area in the Tamil Peninsula and use the Arctic route to transport oil and gas resources to China and other countries to meet their oil needs.
Oil and gas are Russia's main exports to China at the moment, while Europe's oil and gas demand is unlikely to recover in the short term. Therefore, China, a market with huge demand, is like a lifeline for the Russian oil industry.
It is foreseeable that in the coming years, Russia will develop more corridors for the delivery of oil and gas to China. From a strategic point of view, Russia now has not many partners that it can rely on, and China is one of them.
In addition to oil and gas resources, Russia also has an important commodity to export to China, and that is agricultural products. Russian Prime Minister Mishustin said on the 19th that Russia wants to increase agricultural products to China.
Russia's agricultural exports to China are mainly corn, wheat and other grain crops, and he is one of the world's largest grain exporters. However, the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis has also brought a huge blow to Russia's financial route, so Russia's turn to China is also a realistic choice.
In fact, there are not many countries in the world that can absorb Russian grain exports except for China, and it is difficult for Russia to find other markets except for the EU and China, and Europe has basically been cut off.
At the same time, there is another aspect of the meeting between the Chinese and Russian prime ministers that deserves attention, that is, the development of the Russian Far East.
This time, the Chinese and Russian premiers specially listened to the report of the Committee on Cooperation between Northeast China and the Russian Far East and Baikal Region. The cooperation between China and Russia in the development of the Russian Far East has only just begun, but there is great potential for the future.
Prior to this, the development of the Russian Far East faced two major obstacles. One is the technical problem, the Far East has been frozen for a long time, and it is very difficult to develop, and Russia's national power is declining, not only can it not be developed on a large scale, but it is also difficult to maintain the existing infrastructure.
However, due to changes in the global climate, the development of the Russian Far East has become less difficult, and the Far East is expected to become a new growth point for Russia.
The other is political issues, which lead to slow progress in development. Judging from the actual conditions, it is difficult for Russia to turn Siberia into a rich land by its own strength, and the best way is to attract foreign capital in infrastructure, natural resources, etc., with the help of foreign forces, and this "foreign capital" mainly refers to Chinese capital.
However, the Siberian region is vast and sparsely populated, and it is a place where Russia has weak control. The Russian side has been worried that if a large number of Chinese are allowed to enter Siberia, it will lead to instability in the region.
In the eyes of some Russian nationalists, there will also be fears that China will regain Siberia. You know, a place like Vladivostok is called Vladivostok in China;
Sakhalin is called in Russia, Sakhalin in China. From a historical point of view, these places can be said to be the "homeland of China". Because of this, Russia has always been careful when it comes to cooperating with China in the development of Siberia.
However, this is an unnecessary concern, since the border between China and Russia has long been determined. In a situation where Russia is isolated by Western countries, it is the best option for Russia to carry out practical cooperation with China.
If the global climate continues to warm and the Arctic route opens again, then the development value of Siberia will be even higher. Russia can no longer hold on to this "cornucopia", but must find a way to bring its value into play.
According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China, from January to November 2023, the amount of China and Russia reached a record 2,181$800 million, an increase of 267%, exceeding the target set by the leaders of China and Russia to reach 200 billion US dollars in 2024.
Even Putin admitted at a press conference that he should not be gullible to the West during his first term. China and Russia are partners of cooperation and mutual benefit, and in the current international situation, it is the wisest choice for the two countries to work together.
Russia has turned eastward, and Sino-Russian relations have ushered in new opportunities. Cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, energy, and investment is not only conducive to the development of the two countries, but also to regional and world peace and stability.
China and Russia are both important countries in the world and permanent members of the UN Security Council, and they have important influence in international affairs.
In the face of pressure and challenges from Western countries, China and Russia should strengthen communication and coordination, safeguard the common interests of the two countries, and promote multilateralism and the reform of the international order.
The friendly cooperation between China and Russia is not aimed at any third party, nor does it threaten the interests of any third party. On the contrary, the friendly cooperation between China and Russia is aimed at achieving common development and contributing to world peace and progress.