Mutual supporters

By Long Chen | China Daily Global | Updated: 2026-05-25 19:30

Share - WeChat

Three ever-broadening ‘paths’ underpin the consolidation and extension of China-Russia cooperation

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to China on May 19 and 20. The deep-seated accumulation of China-Russia cooperation has continued to grow despite the turbulent international landscape. Steadily extended and consolidated, it has become a paradigm for major-country coordination in today’s world. Looking back at the highlights of China-Russia cooperation in recent years, the secret to the steady progress in bilateral exchanges lies in three increasingly broadening “paths”.

The path of people-to-people exchanges is becoming increasingly smooth. The thermometer of China-Russia relations is, first and foremost, reflected in the footsteps of ordinary people from both nations. As a major outcome of the strategic guidance by the two heads of state, the trial mutual visa-free policy launched in 2025 responds to the expectations of both peoples.

Data from the Heilongjiang General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection show that after just over eight months of the trial visa-free policy, ports across Heilongjiang province received over 650,000 Russian travelers, a year-on-year increase of nearly 70 percent. Among them, the number of tourists entering through visa-free channels surged more than twofold. Cross-border weekend visits between Chinese and Russian families and Russian tourists shopping at Chinese markets have become the new normal.

Meanwhile, Chinese tourists’ enthusiasm for visiting Russia is equally high. According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Russia increased by 44 percent in the first quarter of 2026, firmly securing China’s leading position in terms of foreign tourist arrivals in Russia. According to forecasts by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, the number of Chinese tourists to Russia is expected to reach 5.5 million annually by 2030.

The path of physical connectivity is accelerating its extension, making the “steel arteries” of economic and trade exchanges more resilient and robust. If the “heart path” is the underlying emotional bond of China-Russia cooperation, the “hard path” supports the backbone and lifeblood of their economic and trade interactions. According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, the freight volume of trade in goods between China and Russia reached 47 million metric tons in 2025, up 3 percent year-on-year, with vehicles passing through border ports increasing by more than 20 percent compared to 2024.

The accelerated upgrading of cross-border infrastructure and logistics, along with the step-by-step implementation of border port renovations, has emerged as a new highlight in bilateral economic and trade exchanges. Specifically, the Kanikurgan-Heihe highway port has completed its upgrade, increasing daily vehicle clearance capacity to 862 vehicles. The traffic capacity of the Kraskino-Hunchun and Pogranichny-Suifenhe highway ports has also increased to 750 and 1,300 vehicles respectively, upon completion.

Beyond highways, progress is being made in tandem across railways, aviation and maritime shipping. Cross-border waterway passenger transport is becoming increasingly busy. As the terminus of the Pacific Railway, the coal marine terminal at Port Elga and its supporting railway are under intensive construction. Once fully completed, Russia will be able to transport an additional 30 million tons of coal by water annually.

Furthermore, the development of the Russian Far East and Northeast China is not only a regional priority but also a crucial lever to stimulate growth across the entire Eurasian continent. These crisscrossing “hard paths” are tying the economic lifelines of the two countries ever tighter, serving as a powerful engine for the shared development of the region and the continent as a whole.

The path of participating in global governance is widening, providing greater confidence for practical cooperation to counter anti-globalization. The significance of China-Russia cooperation has long transcended the bilateral scope. Through platforms such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China and Russia are providing more diverse international public goods to the Global South.

At the 2024 BRICS Kazan Summit, President Xi put forward five suggestions: building a BRICS committed to peace, innovation, green development, justice and closer people-to-people exchanges. Both China and Russia expressed their readiness along with other BRICS members to promote strategic cooperation across three pillars — politics and security, economy and finance, and people-to-people exchanges — and to strengthen ties with other developing countries through “BRICS Plus” and outreach dialogues.

In recent years, the New Development Bank and alternative payment systems under the BRICS framework have gradually emerged as beneficial complements to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

In September 2025, President Xi proposed the Global Governance Initiative at the SCO Plus Meeting. President Putin expressed immediate support, saying that the Global Governance Initiative put forward by President Xi is very timely and relevant, and will play an important role in closing the global governance deficit. On May 9, President Putin further pointed out at a news conference after the Victory Day celebrations that China-Russia coordination has become “a key pillar in deterring conflicts and safeguarding global strategic stability”.

Amid current major issues such as the international energy security, the in-depth communication and coordinated positions between China and Russia are helping to jointly safeguard the authority of the United Nations Charter and international fairness and justice, steadily advancing the building of a more equal and orderly multipolar world.