On June 1–2, 2022, the 7th International Conference “Russia and China: Cooperation in a New Era” was held. The conference is organized annually by Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) under the Memorandum of Cooperation of 2016 signed in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping. This year, due to pandemic restrictions in China, the event was held in a hybrid mode.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Chairman of RIAC Board of Trustees, and Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister, PRC State Councilor, sent welcoming video messages to the participants of RIAC and CASS conference.
On June 1–2, 2022, the 7th International Conference “Russia and China: Cooperation in a New Era” was held. The conference is organized annually by Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) under the Memorandum of Cooperation of 2016 signed in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping. This year, due to pandemic restrictions in China, the event was held in a hybrid mode.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Chairman of RIAC Board of Trustees, and Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister, PRC State Councilor, sent welcoming video messages to the participants of RIAC and CASS conference.
Sergey Lavrov noted that the tectonic shifts in the modern geopolitical landscape serve as an additional catalyst to facilitate better foreign policy coordination between Moscow and Beijing. He added that together with our Chinese friends we adhere to a constructive approach to building relations with third countries, given that our positions on the vast majority of topical issues on the global and regional agenda coincide or are very close.
His Chinese colleague Wang Yi pointed out that security is a prerequisite for development, and development is the foundation of security: only by coordinating security development can Russia and China achieve lasting peace and common prosperity.
The following speakers addressed the participants during the opening of the conference: Igor Ivanov, RIAC President, Russian Foreign Minister (1998–2004); Shi Taifeng, CASS President; Andrey Denisov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to China, RIAC Member; and Zhang Hanhui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Russian Federation.
According to Igor Ivanov, at this crucial stage of global development, cooperation between Russia and China is of particular importance, which is becoming an important factor not only for the development of the two countries, but also for creating favorable conditions in the world for developing the foundations of a new world order. RIAC President also pointed out the importance of Russia-China cooperation on the expert track.
The conference sessions were devoted to the opportunities and priorities of Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership in the context of acute crisis trends emerging today globally and in relations of the two countries with the West. The participants of the session on Russia and China cooperation in an era of global changes agreed on negative assessments of the global strategic situation, at least for the medium term, and noted that in the face of sharply aggravated external challenges, coordination between Moscow and Beijing should acquire new qualities. Discussions within the session on Russia, China and common security challenges in Eurasia concerned both the development of regional multilateral formats, in which Moscow and Beijing actively participate, and countering threats to stability, as well as the impact of the European security crisis on the Eurasian space and Eurasian integration.
The session on economic cooperation between Russia and China emphasized the search for stabilizing mechanisms and new points of growth for the economies of the two countries and Russian-Chinese business ties. The experts paid special attention to the development of economic cooperation in the context of anti-Russian sanctions and corporate boycotts by the West, focusing on the importance of decisions in the financial sector. Thus, Andrei Klepach, Chief Economist at Vnesheconombank, RIAC member, pointed out that for Russia and China, the integration of payment systems is already becoming a matter of financial sovereignty, and not just efficiency. Russian participants also noted the potential of the Arctic, Siberia and the Far East in cooperation.
The green agenda in Russian-Chinese relations was considered in detail for the first time during RIAC and CASS conference: experts from the two countries analyzed the approaches of Russia and China to green imperatives, as well as opportunities for joint projects in this sphere.
The participants of the sessions included: Igor Morgulov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, RIAC Presidium Member; Li Hui, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs; Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General; Zhang Yuyan, CASS Presidium Member, Director of Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP); Evgeny Buzhinsky, Chairman of PIR Center, RIAC Vice-President; Fares Kilzie, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CREON Group, RIAC Member; Xing Guangcheng, CASS Presidium Member, Director of the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies at CASS; Alexey Maslov, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Lomonosov Moscow State Uniiversity, RIAC Member; Tang Yongsheng, Major General, Deputy Dean at the National Security College of National Defense University PLA; Ivan Timofeev, RIAC Director of Programs; Xu Bu, President of China Institute of International Studies; Yaroslav Lissovolik, Program Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, RIAC Member; Xuesong Li, Director of Institute of Quantitative and Technical Economics, CASS; Anatoliy Nikolaev, Rector of the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, RIAC Member; Zhang Yongsheng, Director of Research Institute for Eco-civilization, CASS; and other representatives of Russian and Chinese expert and business circles.
The conference presented the second collection of RIAC and CASS articles Global Governance in a New Era: Concepts and Approaches, which is being prepared for publication in English and Chinese.
Video recording of the opening and plenary sessions is available on the official website: https://russiancouncil.ru/rucn2022
The media partner of the event is The International Affairs.
