“Russia and China: Taking on a New Quality of Bilateral Relations” Conference Comes to a Close in Moscow

The Third International Conference “Russia and China: Taking on a New Quality of Bilateral Relations” took place in Moscow on May 29–30, 2017. The event was organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) in cooperation with Russia–China Friendship Association and CREON Energy.

General Partners of the Conference were PJSC “Transneft”, PJSC “Rosseti” and the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs.

The tradition of holding the Conference on an annual basis has become an integral part of the Russia–China dialogue. In 2017 the event was dedicated to the 60^th anniversary of Russia–China Friendship Association, which has made a significant contribution to the establishment of close ties between the two countries over the years. Additionally, the Conference was held shortly after the “One Belt, One Road” forum for international cooperation and the official visit of President Vladimir Putin to the People’s Republic of China. This made it possible to discuss the results and decisions of the visit and outline methods for their practical implementation.

The Conference was held over two days and took the form of plenary sessions attended by government representatives from both countries, as well as expert sessions involving a free and open discussion of issues put forward for consideration. Over 700 people took part in the event over the course of the two days, with speeches were delivered by more than 80 experts, including representatives from the leadership of Russian federal ministries and agencies and international organizations, heads of the border regions, and prominent members of the expert community and business circles in Russia, China and several partner countries. The Conference was attended by more than 70 representatives of Russian, Chinese and foreign media.

The Third International Conference “Russia and China: Taking on a New Quality of Bilateral Relations” took place in Moscow on May 29–30, 2017. The event was organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) in cooperation with Russia–China Friendship Association and CREON Energy.

General Partners of the Conference were PJSC “Transneft”, PJSC “Rosseti” and the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs.

The tradition of holding the Conference on an annual basis has become an integral part of the Russia–China dialogue. In 2017 the event was dedicated to the 60^th anniversary of Russia–China Friendship Association, which has made a significant contribution to the establishment of close ties between the two countries over the years. Additionally, the Conference was held shortly after the “One Belt, One Road” forum for international cooperation and the official visit of President Vladimir Putin to the People’s Republic of China. This made it possible to discuss the results and decisions of the visit and outline methods for their practical implementation.

The Conference was held over two days and took the form of plenary sessions attended by government representatives from both countries, as well as expert sessions involving a free and open discussion of issues put forward for consideration. Over 700 people took part in the event over the course of the two days, with speeches were delivered by more than 80 experts, including representatives from the leadership of Russian federal ministries and agencies and international organizations, heads of the border regions, and prominent members of the expert community and business circles in Russia, China and several partner countries. The Conference was attended by more than 70 representatives of Russian, Chinese and foreign media.

The Conference’s agenda included such topics as: the development of bilateral humanitarian ties; new points of growth in the trade and economic partnership between the two countries; and cooperation in integration initiatives in Eurasia, including within the format of the Greater Eurasian Partnership and the co-development of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt. Conference participants from both countries shared their views on the most pressing regional and global issues and discussed the security situation in East Asia and the prospects for working together in the Arctic. Special attention was paid during one of the expert sessions to investing in the energy, gas processing and petrochemicals sectors.

Welcoming speeches were delivered by Chairperson of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko; President of the Russian International Affairs Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation from 1998 to 2004 Igor Ivanov; President of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and member of the National People’s Congress Wang Zhan; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of China to the Russian Federation Li Hui; Chairman of Russia–China Friendship Association and Member of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Dmitry Mezentsev; representative of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China–Russia Friendship Association Jingwu Song; and Director General of PJSC “Rosseti” Oleg Budargin.

In addition, the Conference’s plenary sessions were attended by: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Igor Morgulov; Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Alexei Gruzdev; Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Nikolay Asaul; Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East Alexander Krutikov; Head of the Federal Customs Service of Russia Vladimir Bulavin; Head of the Federal Agency for Tourism Oleg Safonov; Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Alexander Radkov; Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University Victor Sadovnichy; President of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO Andrei Sharonov; Director of the State Russian Museum Vladimir Gusev; Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council Andrei Kortunov; Director of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Luzyanin; Chairman of the Board of Directors of CREON Energy Fares Kilzie; Deputy Director for Strategy at the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs Alexei Kachay; Director of the Integration Development Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission Sergei Shukhno; Chief Economist at the Eurasian Development Bank Yaroslav Lissovolik; and Chief Economist at PF Capital Yevgeny Nadorshin, among others.

The Third International Conference “Russia and China: Taking on a New Quality of Bilateral Relations” was also notable for the high level of representation on the part of the Chinese delegation. Specifically, the event was attended by: Vice president of China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) Xin Zhongyi; Director of the Institute of East European, Russian and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Li Yongquan; Director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University Yan Xuetong; Director of the Center for International Energy Strategy Studies Shi Ze; Professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University Zhao Huasheng; Director of the Center for Studies of Russia and Central Asia at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Pan Dawei; Director of Programmes at the Council for Strategic Interaction between China and Russia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Xue Fuqi; and Director of the Centre for Russian and Central Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies Li Xin, among others.

In addition, representatives from several international organizations and partner states of Russia and China spoke at the event, including: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary-General Rashid Alimov; former Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan (2014–2015) Djoomart Otorbaev; Head of the European Union delegation to Russia Vygaudas Ušackas; and Director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University Angela Stent.

The joint report entitled “Russia–China Dialogue: The 2017 Model” was presented at the Conference. The document was prepared by the Russian International Affairs Council, the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University and dealt with such issues as: the main goals and prospects for Russia–China interaction on the global stage; the key directions in the expansion of trade, economic and investment ties between the two countries; and many other issues of bilateral cooperation

The high quality of expert dialogue demonstrated at the Conference is testament to the true partner relations that exist between Russia and China, as well as to the significance that both countries place on both bilateral dialogue and cooperation within the framework of broad regional and global organizations and initiatives.

Video footage and written transcripts of the opening ceremony as well as the plenary discussios are available of the Conferences official website.

Media partners at the event included: RIA Novosti; Interfax; TASS; Xinhua; Sputnik; Rossiyskaya Gazeta; Gazeta.ru; Lenta.ru; Russia In Global Affairs; Moscow–Beijing Magazine; EKD!; and the National Committee on BRICS Research. More than 50 news and analytical articles have been published about the Conference and its results.

Conference Photos

Conference Video