Joint statement of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China

In response to the invitation of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping from June 8, 2018, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to the People’s Republic of China. State leaders engaged in discussions in Beijing, visited Tianjin,
and also took part in the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on June 9-10, 2018, in Qingdao.
The Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, declare as follows.
I
As a result of many years of joint efforts of the Parties, Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction have been transformed into a complex of relations between large states, characterized by rich content and strongly marked strategic significance. Such relationships make a significant contribution to stimulation of development and prosperity of both countries, as well as to peace and stability protection throughout the world. Russian-Chinese relations are based on the principles of deep mutual trust in the political field, mutual respect, equality, support and consideration of each other’s fundamental interests, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the choice of the development policy of the other Party, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, non-creation of ideological roots and strict adherence to principles of international law. The readiness of both states and peoples to steadily strengthen the friendship passed down from generation to generation and develop mutually beneficial cooperation is unwavering. This gives a powerful impulse to the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. The parties confirm their readiness to continue considering Russian-Chinese relations as one of the key priorities of their foreign policy, and to make joint efforts aimed at bringing relations between the two countries to a new, even higher level.
The parties confirm that The Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China is a conceptual basis of the Russian-Chinese relation in the modern era and for extended periods of time. The parties also highly appreciate the favorable, friendly atmosphere around the Russian-Chinese border area, which has become a belt of peace and multi-faceted cooperation along its entire length, which makes it possible to ensure the stable, progressive development of bilateral relations of equal trust-based partnership and strategic interaction.
The Parties express their intention to build up and deepen cooperation in all fields so they are going develop a confidential strategic dialogue at the highest and high levels, continuing improving mechanisms of bilateral intergovernmental, inter-parliamentary, inter-party, inter-departmental and inter-regional integration.
The parties emphasize that close contacts between the Heads of States are an indicator of the high level bilateral relations, and are determined to continue the practice of mutual visits at the highest level and meetings of both State Leaders on the sidelines of various international forums.
Russia and China note the high efficiency of regular meetings of the governmental leaders and meetings of the five intergovernmental commissions at the level of vice-prime ministers, as well as relevant sub-commissions and working groups, held within the context of preparations for above mentioned events, and intend to make efforts to further development of this mechanism and increase its practical impact.
Russia and China both highly appreciate cooperation between the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation and the Office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and support regular exchanges between these authorities (including internal subdivision) according to the relevant cooperation protocol to ensure the high quality of preparation for regular interactions between the leaders of two states and for implementation of the agreements reached at the highest level.
In the context of increasing instability and uncertainty all over the world, the Parties will continue to deepen mutual discussions on strategic security issues, maintain an intensive dialogue between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and increase bilateral coordination at specialized international platforms.
The parties intend to take full advantage of cooperation mechanisms in the law enforcement and security fields, strengthen interaction in these areas, and jointly defend security and stability of both states.
Russia and China intend to continue enhancing strategic contacts and coordination between armed forces of two countries, improve the existing mechanisms of military cooperation, expand interaction in the field of practical military and military-technical cooperation, and jointly counter the challenges of global and regional security.
II
The Parties are confident that Russian-Chinese cooperation in practical areas makes a significant contribution to strengthening the foundation of relations between the countries. They mark noticeable positive developments in many areas of such cooperation, including the steady growth of bilateral trade turnover and improvement of its structure, implementation of major joint projects, including in high-tech industries, continuously expanding cooperation in scientific and technical fields as well as in fields of education, healthcare, mass media & information, sports, culture and tourism at the same time supporting developing contacts between citizens of two countries.
By agreement of the heads of two states, the Years of Russian-Chinese Interregional Cooperation, which are scheduled for 2018-2019, were started. This new large-scale joint project, which continues the practice of thematic years, is designed to strengthen mutually beneficial ties between subjects of the Russian Federation, provinces, autonomous regions and cities of the central subordination of the People’s Republic of China. Its program includes hundreds of different events: investment presentations, trade, industrial and agricultural exhibitions, conferences, creative festivals and study tours. In addition, the venues for active cooperation between regional representatives of our countries are the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Eastern Economic Forum, the Russian-Chinese EXPO.
The Parties emphasize the need to continue collaboration to ensure a truly comprehensive nature of practical cooperation, for which reason, in particular, they reached agreement on the implementation of the following tasks:
1) supporting of the growth trend of Russian-Chinese trade turnover along with further improvement of its structure, deepening of cooperation in the field of trade in services, assistance in the development of cross-border electronic commerce, searching for new growth points and new forms of interaction in the field of trade and economic cooperation;
2) further deepening of Russian-Chinese investment cooperation; maximum use of the potential of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission for Investment Cooperation aimed at development of comprehensive profile interaction coordination; building up efforts aimed at harmonizing strategies, programs and measures for the development of national economies and specific industries; creating a favorable external environment for enterprises in Russia and China; joint promotion of large-scale projects in accordance with the principles of corporate subjectivity, market orientation, commercial activity and following international practices; continuous expansion of scope and level of Russian-Chinese investment cooperation;
3) further strengthening of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the financial sector, promoting an increase in the share of national currencies in trade settlements, investments and financing, development of cooperation in such areas as payment systems and insurance;
4) consolidation of cooperation within the framework of multilateral development institutions, including the New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to attract funding for construction and modernization of infrastructure facilities in the territories of both countries;
5) further strengthening of cooperation in accounting and auditing sector, creation of favorable conditions for the cross-border issue of debt bonds, active promotion of mutual recognition of accounting and auditing;
6) deepening of cooperation in the oil and gas, coal, electric power sectors, as well as in the development of renewable energy sources, power equipment and energy efficiency along with the re-profiling of resource-oriented cities;
7) continuous cooperation in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy on the basis of the joint statement adopted by the heads of governments of the Parties, promotion of the principles of mutual benefit and balance of interests;
8) promotion of cooperation in industry and high technology sector with an emphasis on the implementation of joint large-scale projects, creation of sustainable production chains;
9) deepening of cooperation within the framework of the Program for the Development of Cooperation in Space Activities between the State Corporation for Space Activities «Roscosmos» and the Chinese National Space Administration for 2018-2022, joint promotion of cooperation in the space sector within the BRICS framework;
10) building up joint efforts to protect and secure intellectual property rights, preventing and reducing the number of offenses thereupon, further improvement of the innovation environment for inventors and users of intellectual property systems of both countries;
11) exchange of information in the field of consumer rights protection, strengthening of contacts and cooperation between the responsible departments of the Parties in related activities;
12) maintaining intensive scientific and technical contacts in priority areas of science and technology with participation of universities, research organizations and companies both in Russia and China, including implementation of joint scientific research projects;
13) deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in innovative areas with maximum use of the mechanism of the Russian-Chinese dialogue on the issues related to innovations;
14) expansion of bilateral relations in the field of information and telecommunication technologies, as well as in the digital economy sector, increasing the level of interconnectedness of information and communication infrastructures, strengthening of cooperation in the orbital-frequency resource regulation; development of the information space, increasing confidence in online security;
15) deepening of the agricultural cooperation with consistent opening of markets in order to provide each other with mutual access to agricultural products, intensifying of cooperation in the field of inspection and quarantine to ensure veterinary and phytosanitary security and food safety; encouraging and supporting the participation of enterprises in various agricultural fairs and forums held in both countries, active promotion of practical cooperation in such directions as investments in agriculture, trade and processing of agricultural products, fishing industry, agricultural science and technologies; joint elaboration of the agriculture development plan for the Far East and Baikal region of Russia and Northeast China;
16) creation of new and modernization of the existing cross-border transport infrastructure, assistance in creating favorable conditions for speeding up the customs clearance, increasing the volume of transit traffic from China through Russia, development of international transport routes and corridors passing through the territories of both countries;
17) strengthening of the Russian-Chinese cooperation in the Arctic region aimed at enforcement of its sustainable development, including support in the development of interaction between involved governmental agencies, bodies and enterprises of two countries, in particular in such fields as scientific research, implementation of joint infrastructure transport and energy projects, development and use of the potential of the Northern Sea Route, tourism and ecology as well;
18) increasing the level and quality of interaction in the field of prevention of natural disasters and in emergency situations, including elimination of the consequences of natural and man-made disasters;
19) continuation of work on integration of the construction of the Eurasian Economic Union and the «One Belt, One Road», including via interaction in the implementation of the Agreement on trade and economic cooperation signed on May 17, 2018 in Astana between the Eurasian Economic Union and its member states, on the one hand, and the People’s Republic of China, on the other hand; elaboration of the issues related to creation of the Eurasian Partnership based on the principles of openness, transparency and mutual consideration of interests in order to promote integration processes in the region.
The Parties welcome signing of the Bilateral Statement on the completion of the joint feasibility study of the Eurasian Economic Partnership Agreement and look forward to early progress in the further work regarding its execution;
20) maintaining contacts and interaction on issues of environmental protection and ecology, primarily in the border areas of Russia and China;
21) assistance in the further expansion of humanitarian communication, bringing it to a whole new level, strengthening of the social base for bilateral relations, deepening of mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of both states; implementation of the Action Plan for the development of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the humanitarian field;
22) promotion of cooperation in the fields of education, culture, healthcare, sports, cinematography, mass media, tourism, youth policy; as well as in the field of archives, coordination of practical interaction in these kinds of activities;
23) increasing the share of interregional cooperation in the total scope of commercial, economic, scientific, technical, humanitarian and other interaction between two countries, intensification of the relevant work within the framework of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission for Cooperation and Development of the Far East and the Baikal Region of the Russian Federation and the Northeast of the People’s Republic of China, the Council for Interregional Cooperation of the Regions of the Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation and the Upper, Middle reaches of the Yangtze River in the People’s Republic of China;
24) providing favorable conditions for continuous development of mutual exchanges, comprehensive support of activities aimed to improve the quality and safety of touristic services;
25) implementation of further attempts of the Parties to accelerate the mutual transferring of land parcels selected for the construction of consular institutions within the framework of the implementation of the bilateral intergovernmental agreement on general consulates in St. Petersburg and Shanghai, the early opening of the General Consulate of the Russian Federation in Harbin and the start of full-scale operation of the General Consulate of the People’s Republic of China in Kazan
26) activation of contacts and cooperation between two countries in such fields as the activity of public organizations, social assistance and social security, pension services, improvement of residential communities.
The Chinese Party invites the Russian one to active participation in the first China International Fair of Import Goods, which will create new opportunities for the development of bilateral trade.
The Parties support the soonest holding of a Russian-Chinese energy cooperation forum to discuss measures aimed at extending certain cooperation in the energy sector between two countries.
The Parties express their confidence that the FIFA World Cup, which opens in Russia in a few days, will become a world-wide sports festival, a festival of friendship between athletes from all continents, and believe that international sports competitions and events should not be affected by factors not related to sports.
Russia is ready to provide China with the necessary support in preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
III
Russian-Chinese partnership is an indicative example of contemporary intergovernmental relations, and Russian-Chinese interaction is an essential factor in maintaining the strategic balance and stability in the world in conditions when international situation is characterized by high conflict potential, exacerbation of geopolitical contradictions, degradation of constructive interaction and manifestations of economic protectionism.
The Parties stand for the protection of global order and system premised on the purposes and principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter, support promotion of the new type of international relations based on the principles of mutual respect, justice and beneficial cooperation, creation of the human common destiny community, inspired by equal participation of all countries in global governance, compliance with the provisions of international law, ensuring equal and indivisible security, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests, rejection of confrontation and conflicts in order to contribute to the formation of more fair and rational poly-centric global order.
In the condition of difficult and volatile international situation, Russia and China will continue to build up bilateral strategic cooperation in international affairs, conduct in-depth discussions on wide range of issues included in international and regional agenda, and bring bilateral coordination of the foreign ministries of two countries and mutual support on the world stage to a qualitatively new level.
In this regard, the Parties intend to:
1) adhere to the idea of multilateralism, uphold the central role of the UN in global governance as the most universal, representative and authoritative international organization;
2) in order to improve the functional effectiveness of the UN and its Security Council in a coordinated manner and in accordance with the UN Charter, support the necessary and reasonable reforms of the Organization and its Security Council aimed at better implementation of the UN Charter provisions; to continue discussing these reforms through organisation of exclusively broad and democratic consultations, without setting artificial time limits or imposing immature projects, search for a «package» solution taking into account interests and concerns of all parties; proceed from the fact that the reform of the UN Security Council should, first of all, expand the representation and voting rights of developing countries so that a wide range of small and medium-sized states obtain more opportunities to participate in work and decision-making processes of the Security Council on the basis of rotation principle;
3) stand for the preservation of the general responsibility for strengthening of global peace and international security for the UN Security Council, oppose attempts of any states to conduct unilateral military actions without appropriate mandate of the UN Security Council, or without the consent of the legitimate government of the country on whose territory such actions are implemented;
4) actively participate in the formation of equal and indivisible security architecture on regional and global scales, based on the renunciation of the use of force or the threat of the use of force, non-interference of one state in the internal and external affairs of another one, and the resolution of international conflicts by political and diplomatic methods;
5) pay special attention to ensuring global and regional strategic balance and stability, taking into account the fact that some states, under the pretext of so-called «missile threat», unilaterally develop missile defense systems and deploy such systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region thereby causing serious damage to strategic security interests of regional states, including Russia and China, and negatively affecting the strategic balance, global and regional security and stability;
6) taking into account the growing threat of outer space weaponization, which can undermine strategic stability and damage international security, and welcoming the resolution «Further practical measures to prevent arms race in outer space» adopted at the
72nd session of the UN General Assembly, promote the development of appropriate legal documents based on the updated Russian-Chinese Draft Treaty on the prevention of outer space weaponization, use of force or force threat against space objects;
7) giving due importance to the issue: «Space as an engine of sustainable development», which will be discussed during the 73rd UN General Assembly session, stand out for aligning activities of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space with the prospect of strengthening international space law, its application practice and regulation of space activities to ensure global management of such activities on a truly international basis under the auspices of the UN;
8) stand for the consolidation of global community efforts in fight against terrorism, extremism and other traditional and new challenges and threats; reaffirm the determination of Russia and China to develop counter-terrorism cooperation without its politicization and use of double standards, to support creation of the united international front for terrorism counter; insist that the world community should strengthen the central coordinating role of the UN and its Security Council, along with strict adherence to the UN Charter, regulations and principles of international law, including sovereign equality of states and non-interference in matters essentially within their domestic jurisdiction;
9) following the bilateral agreements established by the Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the Enhancement of the Role of International Law dated June 25, 2016, require from all participants of international relations full compliance with international law regulations, proceed from the principle of equality of states, and prevent practical use of force or use of force threat;
10) oppose the unilateral economic sanctions adopted by sidestepping the UN Security Council, as well as against blackmail and pressure that violate the principles of fair and honest competition and damage global economy;
11) take joint measures aimed at ensuring sustainable global economic growth and strengthening stability of global financial system, promoting liberalization and creating favorable conditions for trade and investment activities, counteracting world order unipolarity and any kind of protectionist measures in trade, maintaining and strengthening the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the central system of multilateral commerce, upholding and improving non-discriminatory multilateral rules that meet the interests of all parties within the framework of the WTO activities, ensuring the legality and functional efficiency of international financial institutions, increasing the representation and granting voting rights in such institutions to developing countries and economies with emerging markets, support of the forces motivating an international monetary and financial system reformation;
12) jointly contribute to the implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution «Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development» and strengthening partnership in global development, support the key role of the UN in the Agenda implementation on a global scale, contribute to the achievement of positive results of the UN System reform in terms of development, continue to promote joint development of emerging market economies and economies of developing countries;
13) strengthen global energy and food security through development of multilateral and bilateral cooperation;
14) respect each other’s interests in third countries, regions of the world, international associations, and in case of contradictions in this regard, take measures to reach mutually acceptable solutions by conjugating each other’s interests in the spirit of special nature of bilateral relations;
15) make efforts to enforce further development of regional and international associations and formations in which Russia and China have been maintaining membership, primarily SCO, BRICS, RIC, EAC, G20, APEC; increase bilateral interaction and coordination within these formations for this purpose;
16) contribute to the deepening of strategic partnership relations within the BRICS framework, jointly support the Republic of South Africa in holding the 10th Meeting of BRICS Leaders, contribute to the positive start of the second «golden decade» of cooperation within the Association framework, continue the process of rapprochement and cooperation with other states with emerging markets, developing countries and their integration associations using the «BRICS+» format;
17) to strengthen coordination and practical interaction between two countries in the processes of solving urgent regional problems, and specifically:
to jointly advocate the need to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria, respect its sovereign status, promote the process of a peaceful settlement within the country by efforts of the Syrians themselves with the UN support and with assistance of Geneva and Astana platforms, taking into account the results of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held on January 30, 2018 in Sochi; coordinate the plans and concrete steps of Russia and China to ensure the effective post-conflict reconstruction of this country;
continue to coordinate measures being taken to find a peaceful and comprehensive solution for the Korean Peninsula problems;
to cooperate with other countries of the region in promoting the intra-Afghan reconciliation and reconstruction of Afghanistan, keeping in view the issues of combating terrorism and drug traffic in the country;
in connection with the disappointing unilateral termination of the USA of the agreements specified in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions concerning Iranian Nuclear Program (JCPOA), to make any possible efforts to preserve the JCPOA, taking into account fundamental importance of protecting commercial and economic cooperation of all states with Iran from unilateral extraterritorial sanctions.
* * *
The Parties declare that they will continue to deepen Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership relations and mutual strategic interaction on all issues of the bilateral agenda and are determined to raise the quality of coordination and mutual support in international affairs. Both Russia and China call on the rest of the world on establishing a constructive dialogue with Russia and China concerning all regional and global issues based on the principles of non-confrontation, mutual respect, equality and compliance with international law.
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