Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. The two leaders agreed to further extend the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, issued a joint statement on advocating a multipolar world and a new type of international relations, and signed 20 cooperation agreements across various fields. Xi and Putin subsequently held a joint news conference.

This marked Putin’s 25th visit to China and his first overseas trip of the year. Over the past decade, Xi and Putin have met more than 40 times. Opening the talks, Putin quoted the ancient Chinese saying, “One day apart feels like three autumns”, a classical expression conveying that even a brief separation from a cherished friend feels unbearably long, to express his warm goodwill toward Xi and the Chinese people. Amid unprecedented global changes, the sentiment rang especially true.

During the joint news conference, Xi called for efforts to consolidate higher-quality political mutual trust and strengthen strategic support for each other. He emphasized the need for China and Russia to empower higher-quality mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly promote their respective development and revitalization. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of promoting higher-quality people-to-people exchanges to strengthen the foundation for lasting friendship between the two peoples across generations. Finally, he called on both nations to pursue higher-quality international coordination and work together to reform and improve global governance.

Guided by national strategies, Hong Kong should actively participate in China-Russia cooperation, promote people-to-people exchanges, expand its circle of friends, and broaden its development path, thereby making a distinctive Hong Kong contribution to the grand endeavor of building a community with a shared future for mankind

The two leaders’ remarks resonated deeply with the peoples of both countries and garnered widespread attention from the global political community and media. Xi has steered China-Russia relations toward higher-quality development, injecting invaluable strategic stability into a turbulent world. The latest talks once again demonstrated the global significance of such bilateral ties.

Expounding higher-quality political mutual trust, Xi said the two sides should further support each other firmly on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns, while continuing to strengthen strategic communication and exchanges at all levels.

This statement captures a fundamental truth about major-power relations: political mutual trust serves as the cornerstone of strategic support. Guided by the principles of good faith, harmony, benevolence, and mutual benefit, China-Russia relations have set a prime example of peaceful coexistence between major powers. The frequency and depth of Xi-Putin summits have kept bilateral ties on a steady course, undeterred by the complexities of the international environment. This demonstrates to the world that major countries can transcend the so-called Thucydides Trap and move beyond Cold War-era zero-sum thinking — offering a valuable model for countries and regions navigating complex relationships.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major nuclear powers, the stability of their relationship bears directly on the global strategic balance. In a world where unilateralism, hegemonism, and bloc confrontation are on the rise, both countries remain committed to good-neighborliness and close coordination on the international stage, firmly upholding the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law. This back-to-back strategic coordination has effectively helped prevent large-scale geopolitical turbulence across Eurasia.

Discussing higher-quality mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi noted that the two sides should deepen the alignment between China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) and Russia’s development strategy through 2030, and enhance and upgrade mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields.

These remarks clearly map out the direction and priorities for China-Russia economic cooperation, demonstrating to the world the vast potential of this partnership. To fully unlock this potential, both sides must seize the opportunities for precise synergy, translating industrial complementarity into mutually beneficial outcomes, thereby empowering each other and achieving shared prosperity.

Reviewing higher-quality people-to-people exchanges, Xi added that the two sides should take the China-Russia Years of Education initiative as an opportunity to further expand two-way student exchanges and deepen cooperation between universities and research institutions.

Xi’s commitment to people-to-people exchanges reflects a strategic and long-term vision for China-Russia relations, aimed at cementing the bedrock of public support for bilateral friendship. When discussing China-Russia relations, President Xi frequently quotes the traditional saying “Neighbors wish each other well.” This highlights his hope that through face-to-face exchanges and hand-in-hand cooperation, the two peoples will forge a closer bond, building on past achievements to ensure that the flame of China-Russia friendship is passed down from generation to generation, shining ever brighter.

From a global perspective, as the world faces the peril of reverting to the law of the jungle, China and Russia — as leading representatives of emerging markets and developing countries — jointly advocate for the democratization of international relations, steering the multipolar world toward a more just and equitable order.

From a regional perspective, the resurgence of neo-militarism in certain countries poses a direct challenge to the post-World War II international order. As victorious powers of World War II and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia must shoulder the responsibility of maintaining regional stability and resolutely preventing the revival of fascism in East Asia.

In a world beset by chaos and change, humanity sails in the same boat and is bound by a shared future. The talks between President Xi and President Putin demonstrate that this China-Russia good-neighborly partnership transcends traditional bilateral relations. It stands as a successful model of peaceful coexistence between major countries, a bedrock of global strategic stability, a driving force for regional prosperity, and a leading engine for global governance reform.

Backed by the motherland and connected to the world, Hong Kong plays an increasingly vital role in the nation’s overall development. Understanding the global significance of China-Russia cooperation is of paramount importance for Hong Kong today. Guided by national strategies, Hong Kong should actively participate in China-Russia cooperation, promote people-to-people exchanges, expand its circle of friends, and broaden its development path, thereby making a distinctive Hong Kong contribution to the grand endeavor of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The author is vice-chairman of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.