Sino-Russian stable relations

The current economic potential of Russia does not permit a fast growth in trade and the development of industrial cooperation. What is important now, is to create a favorable legal, political and psychological environment for bilateral relations. We must abandon the pursuit of trade growth figures as almost the sole criterion for the successful development of relations. Nobody sets targets for the assessment of economic relations between China and the US or Japan, yet they are prospering.

Effective cooperation between the two countries can occur in the areas where their national interests coincide - global, regional and national security, regional stability and the development of adjacent areas - not in ephemeral illusions and desires. Pragmatism should be the basis for this cooperation. In the near future if China is faced with some serious challenges, a friendly Russia will help China to stand up to them. Russia, in turn, can secure the security of its eastern borders only with the friendly relations with China, and it needs its consumer, commodity and labor markets.

So the emphasis should be on political and cultural relations, rather than trade growth in order to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and understanding.

While the leaders of the two countries demonstrate a high level of political trust between them, the idea of deep political confidence between two countries and peoples still does not have either a strong administrative and political framework nor broad support among the Russian and Chinese bureaucracies and populations. Distrust to Beijing itself and its policies in particular are deeply rooted among the Russian political and business elite as well as ordinary people. The idea of a "China threat" is alive. Horror stories about the future of Chinese expansion in Russia are rampant on the Russian Internet and work against strengthening ties. Moreover, Russia still lacks a deep understanding of the role and place of China in its vague plans and amorphous strategies.

Attempts to compare the relationship between China and the US and Russia and the US to Russia and China are counterproductive. All three have their own history, their own specificity, contradictions and future. Although one thing they probably do have in common is their pragmatism. The difference is that mercantile economic interests dominate Sino-US relations, while common national security problems and a similar vision of the present and future world order are the cornerstone of relations between Russia and China.

The contradictions certainly exist. Contradictions, differences in interests, different visions of the issues and problems necessarily present in relations between states. Those who say they do not see any are either hypocrites or excessively naive. Unfortunately, there are serious historical and cultural reasons for strategic mistrust between the two nations. They are considerably more serious than the Chinese migration to Russia, which is still a lot of talk, but which, by and large, is not a significant problem today for Russia. Very deep cultural differences and ways of thinking, as well as historical memories are among the reasons for mistrust. There is no need to turn a blind eye to them, we must accept them, take them into account and seek to overcome them.

I do not anticipate any drastic change in bilateral relations. I'm waiting only for Russia to finally prepare itself to reap the benefits and meet the challenges of China's rise and so most effectively use China's rise in its own interests without compromising the interests of China itself.

State support is needed to create large breakthrough projects, primarily in the area of the Northeast China and Pacific Russia. For example, the construction of high-speed rail lines between Harbin and Ussuriysk and Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, where Ussuriysk will be a pairing point.

Democracy and human rights are of great value, but they cannot be imposed by force on the rest of the world, especially when the West is trying to force its own interpretation of them on others. Especially when the West repeatedly demonstrates a lot of flaws and problems in its own manifestation of this interpretation.

The author is director of Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences.

(China Daily 01/07/2013 page9)