The year 2005 sees the relations between China and Russia developing on a high level.

Outstanding achievements were made summit meetings; a mechanism of negotiation on strategic security was launched; the two sides approved the Supplementary Agreement on the Eastern Section of the China-Russia Boundary Line between the People's Republic of China and Russian Federation; they issued a joint statement on a new world order in the 21st century; they cooperated and collaborated closely on regional and international affairs; they also held a joint military drill of unprecedented scale.

A series of progresses once and again indicated that China-Russia relations have realized a leap whether in their depth and breath.

People might still remember, during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to Russia this year, the leaders of the two countries said that China-Russia strategic partnership had constantly made new achievements, reaching an ever-high level. The visit per se enriches the connotation of China-Russia strategic partnership, and opened broader prospects for the partnership to be further deepened.

Despite the Songhua River pollution at year-end, the world community still see the bilateral relations moving in a positive direction.

The two governments both hope their relations not be impaired by the pollution and damage of the pollution be minimized through strengthened cooperation. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, in his letter to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, expressed the responsible attitude China takes in dealing with the pollution.

Both the robust development of China-Russia strategic partnership and the way the two sides actively and positively handle things have doubtlessly indicated the high degree of mutual trust in China-Russia relations, which can be regarded as exemplary in the relations between powers in current world.

Three features can be found after a thorough review of the development of China-Russia relations this year: first, clear-cut goals; second, pragmatic efforts; third, exploration and innovation.

Clear-cut goals are mirrored in the cooperation between the two countries, who firmly enhance their cooperation with regard to their strategic partnership. For it to be realized, the strategic consensus of the two countries should play as the foundation.

There Western media found China and Russia have no disputes in the process of reaching the joint statement on a new world order in the 21st century. They didn't know, for years, leaders of the two countries have had agreements and common grounds in their views of the world strategic situation and their policies for dealing with the current situation, which were not usually seen. In addition, the two sides have for times issued joint statements on significant international issues. This kind of strategic consensus is reached on the legal foundation of Russia-China Friendship and Cooperation Treaty and is further cemented and promoted through multi-channel negotiations and exchanges between governments, political parties, academic societies, and non-government institutions.

Practical efforts have been seen in the active actions the two countries took in implementing the general plan they set in the cooperation in various fields.

The top leaders of the two countries jointly approved the guidelines for implementing the Russia-China Friendship and Cooperation Treaty and announced important goals including bilateral trade to be increased to between 60 billion and 80 billion US dollars in 2010 and China's investment to Russia to reach 12 billion US dollars by 2020.

The two countries in this year held further discussions on optimizing trade structure, expanding investment, pushing cooperation in major programs, promoting hi-tech cooperation and effective means of standardizing trade order. They also signed a series of documents on cooperation in energy, finance and power.

Exploration and innovation is seen in the breakthroughs in the forms the two countries further their ties.

Top leaders of the two countries decided to hold the Russia Year in China in 2006 and the China Year in Russia in 2007. For the upcoming Russia Year, the two sides have planned more than 250 projects, political, economic, military, in science and technology, culture as well as investment.

In days the Chinese people will greet the Russia Year. We can see the mutual understanding and the traditional friendship between Chinese and Russian peoples will surely be boosted and China-Russia strategic partnership will certainly scale to a new height.

The article on the front page of People's Daily Overseas Edition, Dec. 28, is translated by People's Daily Online