Sino-Russian relations have achieved stability based on mutual trust and equality 　　
　　Since the end of the Cold War, the new international environment has required a new model of relationship between major countries. The basis of the new relations is to safeguard one’s own national interests while respecting the national interests of the other country.
　　The process of establishing such relations is filled with competition and cooperation, conflicts and compromises. The rules require competing in accordance with international norms, cooperating on the basis of honesty and trust, not allowing conflicts to escalate into confrontation, and being prepared to make moderate compromises.
　　Above all, both sides should strive for a win-win situation, rather than one country gaining at the expense of the other. Measured against these characteristics, current Sino-Russian relations can be regarded as a model of new power relations.
　　
　　Trust is key
　　
　　China and Russia have a solid foundation to shore up bilateral relations. Both countries have been experiencing an economic transformation oriented toward increased international exchanges, greater economic efficiency, a higher technological level, heightened national strength and higher living standards. As neighbors that understand and support each other, the two countries agree to take the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the foundation of bilateral relations and are determined to build a new type of international relations based on such principles as non-alliance, non-confrontation and not being directed against the third country.
　　Both countries have decided to make equality and mutual trust the key concepts in creating a friendly neighborhood, and agree to respect the path chosen by the other and never let differences in ideology stand in the way of the normal development of bilateral ties.
　　On the economic front, both countries agree to enhance their cooperation based on the highly complementary nature of the two economies. There are plenty of areas in which China is strong while Russia is weak, and vice versa. In addition, the two countries share a border of over 4,200 km. These conditions and the historical missions shouldered by the leaders of both countries add up to enormous cooperation prospects and transnational trade opportunities.
　　With regard to international relations, the two countries share many common views on the international situation and the approaches to safeguarding world peace and stability. These common views cover perceptions of the characteristics of the era, the international structure and regional hot spots, how to deal with traditional and non-traditional security threats, putting forward a new security concept, pushing for the establishment of a new international order and promoting the democratization of international relations.
　　Sino-Russian relations have managed to handle disturbing factors well on the basis of mutual trust. The fact that bilateral relations can weather storms and remain stable is largely due to the mutual political trust the countries have in each other. For example, the “China threat” theory still has a market in Russia, which was underpinned by the rumor that there is a Chinese population of 1.5 million in Russia’s Far East region and that the Chinese would take over all the territories of Siberia and the Far East region soon. However, the major Russian newspaper Trud published an article clarifying that the Chinese population in the Russian Far East is about 35,000, and no more than 200,000 if all temporary residents are included. The article also asserted that the development of this region would not be as rapid without the involvement of the Chinese people.
　　China also had a crisis of trust over Russia. The project of building an oil pipeline from Russia’s eastern Siberia to China’s Daqing has been under negotiation for over two years. While the negotiations dragged on, some people in China expressed concerns over the feasibility of the project and were suspicious of Russia’s advantages in equipment and technology. But in the end, leaders of both countries have managed to avoid and eliminate the effects of negative factors on bilateral friendship by taking constant measures based on the consideration of the overall situation.
　　
　　Offering a lesson
　　
　　Sino-Russian relations are characterized by strategic coordination without alliances, a close relationship without interdependence and the safeguarding of national dignity and interests without intending to overthrow each other’s regime. Both countries agree to deal with international affairs based on their assessment of specific issues. They attach great importance to developing relations with the United States while fighting against unilateralism, and seek negotiations to resolve conflicts and push for the multipolarization of international relations against the pursuit of hegemony.
　　As the spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry said, Russia and China have put their relations on a path of stable and robust development and have discovered an optimized model of bilateral relations. This model allows the two countries to consider their national interests to the maximum extent and confidently look to the future of bilateral ties based on the principle of perpetual friendship. The new model could serve as the new model for state-to-state ties.
　　The relations between powers vary widely. Some are close allies while others maintain close relations but are not allies. But that does not mean their relations are exemplary for bilateral ties. Britain and Japan, as close allies of the United States, faithfully follow the American global strategy at the two ends of the Eurasian continent. These lopsided relations are far from serving as a model.
　　Russia seems to have maintained prosperous ties with both Germany and France. However, relations are far from stable due to disagreements over the enlargement of NATO and the Kosovo conflict, Germany and France’s opposing stance on human rights, the Chechnya issue and their criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s implementation of a “controllable democracy.”
　　The flourishing Sino-Russian relationship offers a lesson for healthy relations between major countries. First, two countries should have a clear long-term goal in developing bilateral relations, which emphasizes their strategic importance.
　　Second, they must build a solid political foundation through issuing joint statements enshrining principles of developing bilateral relations, including mutual respect, equality, mutual trust, mutual benefit, cooperation and common development. This not only suits the interests and wishes of the two peoples, but also benefits regional and global peace and stability.
　　Third, bilateral relations should have effective guarantee mechanisms, including regular meetings between the heads of state, prime ministers and foreign ministers.
　　
　　The author is a senior adviser to China Institute for International Strategic Studies

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