China-Russia ties to enter new stage after Putin's victory

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

Vladimir Putin will become Russia's president for the third time after a victory with high margin in the first round of presidential election held on March 4. He regards this election as a review of voters on his past policy lines, principles and governing effects, as well as a vote of confidence to decide whether he will be empowered to continuously lead Russia in the future. The result shows that Putin is still Russia's most popular politician and the future policy agenda he has demonstrated is accepted and supported by voters.

Putin is a Russian politician familiar to Chinese people and he has been actively committed to the development of China-Russia relationship whether as president or prime minister. In 2001, the Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia was signed during his first presidency, which summed up the past of bilateral ties and laid a solid legal footing for the future relationship development. The bilateral relations developed steadily over the past decade and have become a model for two neighboring powers to establish new national relationship under the current international relation system.

Putin published recently a foreign policy programmatic article entitled Russia and the Changing World, in which Putin placed Russia’s relationship with China before that with Europe and the United States. He also pointed out that Russia needed a prosperous and stable China and that China needed a strong and successful Russia.

In terms of how to further improve China-Russia ties in the future, Putin proposed three suggestions: First, let Russia's economy benefit from China's rapid development and let China's potentials promote the economic rise of Siberia and the Far East in Russia; Second, Russia and China should further enhance mutual support on the world stage and jointly solve regional and global issues; Third, take actions in real partnership on the basis of pragmatism and mutual interests. Putin is full of confidence in China-Russia relation development mode and prospect.

Read the Chinese version at http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2012-03/06/content_1016719.htm?div=-1