SCO Summit: A new milestone for Sino-Russian bilateral ties

On June 9-10, the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao will host the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit. This year’s summit is deemed historical since two new member states, India and Pakistan, join the summit for the first time after they were admitted to membership in 2017. With the SCO being the largest regional organization in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population and one of the world’s most powerful organizations, the international community will be watching closely the agenda of the forthcoming summit.

Being a Russian citizen living in Beijing, I am particularly interested in the further development of Russia-China relations and what the leaders of the two countries would be discussing during the summit. It is expected that the forthcoming summit will open a new page for China-Russia bilateral ties that, for the time being, are going through the most prosperous period in their history. This is beneficial not only for China and Russia but also for the neighboring countries and SCO member states. Russian President Vladimir Putin will be present at the summit and will have a government-level meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which will be the first meeting this year between the two leaders and also the first session after the two leaders were re-elected as heads of their countries. Up to now, trade cooperation between the two countries has been growing yearly. For example, Russia is now the No 1 exporter of oil to China, while China is for the eighth year in a row Russia’s No 1 trade partner. Cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector, high-tech, space exploration and nuclear energy is also strengthening. During the summit and bilateral meetings, new agreements between the countries are to be reached, bringing Russia-China relations to a new level.

Moreover, with the emergence of new threats to global security, including international terrorism and the nuclear issue, there has been a demand for a firmer response from international organizations. Since its establishment in 2001, the SCO has always been playing a stabilizing role in the region, with the support of six, and now eight, united countries. One main focus of the forthcoming summit will be how to combat the “three evils” – terrorism, extremism and separatism – as well as drug trafficking and cybercrime. Political and safety cooperation still occupy an important place in Sino-Russian ties. Along with other member states of the SCO, Russia and China are active participants in providing security in the region, which will also be a topic for discussion among the countries’ leaders.

This year is the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, prompted by Xi Jinping in 2013. During these five years, there have been major achievements in terms of trade, infrastructure projects, and cultural and educational exchanges, with SCO countries closely cooperating on the Belt and Road Initiative and linking their own national initiatives with the Belt and Road. In May, China signed an agreement on trade and economic cooperation between China and the Eurasian Economic Union. This means that the cooperation between China and the EAEU has entered a new phase of development. This is a very important result for the Belt and Road Initiative and the EAEU, which will also contribute to the economic development of the Central Asian region.

As a Russian citizen, I have high expectations for the forthcoming summit in Qingdao and looking forward to the new cooperative projects between China and Russia that will be discussed and implemented.

The author is a senior blogger with China Daily.