According to a report by the ITAR-TASS News Agency on February 22, Russia and China's foreign ministers are preparing for Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia and creating some buzz for Xi.

On March 2, Russia's Ministry of Defense revealed that Russia and China will hold joint large-scale naval operations drills on the Sea of Japan in June. The ministry also said the two nations are discussing the "Peace Mission-2013" joint drill involving air and land forces, which has created more headlines for Xi, the newly elected Party and also government leader in China.

Russia's warm up for Xi’s coming Moscow visit answers the growing demand for increased strategic cooperation between China and Russia. When he took his post as Russia's president, Vladimir Putin faced many issues and challenges. Russia needs China's hand not only in exploring the Far East, but also for its national interests since it was pushed aside in Syria in the Middle East, and it has to deal with anti-missile pressure by NATO at a west frontline and the Asia-Pacific regions on its eastern front. Xi's time in leadership will be a key period for Putin to achieve his political ambitions. China and Russia have to confirm and guarantee consistent friendly strategic cooperation. China's peaceful development, in-depth economic reform, the improvements of world politics, economic orders and maintaining a secure and stable social environment for the international community – these all form part of China and Russia's mutual interests.

Since the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation was signed in 2001, the relationship between China and Russia has grown rapidly.

China and Russia have not drawn a line over ideology. They maintain a relationship of equality and mutual trust, recognize territorial integrity and respect the other's interests in social and political systems as internal affairs. The two countries have supported each other on core interest issues related to sovereignty, security and development. They have launched a comprehensive cooperation platform while not entering into any alliance or being a party to any bloc, neither rivaling and nor targeting any nation besides the two. Their top level officials frequently interact and both put the mutual relationship development at the priority position when they make foreign policies. China and Russia peacefully resolved border issues. The cooperation in areas of trade, investment, finance, power, science, technology and local exchanges has developed quickly. China and Russia's premier meeting mechanism runs efficiently and realizes comprehensive mutual cooperation. China and Russia have held joint military drills on many occasions, which have made a very significant influence on Asia-Pacific stability.

China and Russia also need to curb hegemony and military provocation. The two countries are in a strategic and cooperative partnership. Facing Japan on the Diaoyu Islands issues and North Korea on its third nuclear test despite international pressure, China and Russia both find an opportunity to make peace or run the risk of starting a new war. The key lies on how to curb the United States and Japan's hegemony and military provocation.

Japan's right wing wants to make use of the U.S. return to the Asia-Pacific to seek protection for their actions in stealing China's Diaoyu Islands and forcing the U.S. into Japan's war machine. Japan probably wants to engage in provocative military actions to force the U.S. into side with it. Once the fuse is lit, the regional crisis will quickly break out. China and Russia need to strengthen mutual support in local political affairs and military collaboration, including the new joint sea-air-land drill in the Far East.

China's presidential visit to Russia will create a firm foundation to push forward the two nations’ comprehensive strategic cooperation. From the announcement of the sensitive information about the China-Russia drill, one can see that the two nations don't hide the fact that they collaborate on many issues.

China and Russia seek to enhance their military ties. The Sino-Russian naval drill has at least two parts: the first is "cross" and "collaboration." China's navy will cross the Tsushima Strait or the Korean Strait, and then cross the island chains under Russia's control and cross the La Pérouse Strait between Russia and Japan, eventually going to the North Pacific. This will demonstrate China and Russia's strategic collaboration on the seas. The second part is to improve defense on the seas. The joint drill will focus on air, sea and electromagnetism warfare. More than 20 battleships from China's North Sea Fleet and Russia's Pacific Fleet will join the drill. These joint drills are some of the most difficult, and focus on early warning collaboration, communication, attack and defense, aerial defense, electromagnetic and logistics.

Strong military-to-military relations are good to promote comprehensive development, pushing forward cooperation in the areas of politics, economy and diplomacy. China's presidential delegation to Russian will push forward mutual political trust and prioritize foreign policy. Chinese and Russian mutual investment will be streamlined to create more opportunities for both parties.

Addressing energy concerns, the two countries plan to cooperate on oil, gas, nuclear power, coal, electricity and new energy, and build a strategic and long-term partnership for energy. China and Russia will also explore new science and technology innovation platforms and pursue joint commercial and industrial opportunities, specifically in the Siberian and northwest China regions.

The two countries should also push forward cooperative ties in education, culture, health, sports, media and tourism, and enhance the two peoples' friendship. This will help build a solid social and civil foundation for the further advancement of Sino-Russian relations.

China and Russia should work more closely on international and regional affairs, strengthen cooperation in the UN and G20 systems, develop and push forward the cooperative mechanism of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and China-Russia-India Strategic Triangle. This will enable the two nations to maintain regional and world peace, security and stability.

The author is a professor with the National Defense University in China.

The article was first published in Chinese and translated by Zhang Rui.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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