China’s Global Times daily welcomed the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing today with an editorial dedicated to the strategic importance of China-Russia cooperation, reiterating that “the more turbulent the world becomes, the more necessary China-Russia cooperation appears.”
“China-Russia cooperation has also become a pillar for safeguarding international fairness and justice,” it asserts; “the more turbulent the international situation becomes, the more evident the mature, stable, and resilient nature of China-Russia relations appears, and the more important stronger strategic coordination and comprehensive cooperation become.” Their heads of state communicate frequently on both bilateral and multilateral matters, and “the two countries work closely together to safeguard the legitimate development rights of Global South countries and jointly promote a more just and equitable global governance system. History has repeatedly shown that as long as China and Russia stand firmly together, there is greater hope for international fairness and justice, greater certainty amid the once-in-a-century changes, and stronger momentum for humanity’s development and progress,” Global Times proclaimed.
The editorial reflects the future-oriented thinking of the leadership of these two countries. It took 30 years of dialogue and work to bring their relationship to the current level of trust and joint commitment to creating a just world order in which all nations can share.
But the editorial reports that the two countries have now set out to secure this trust for the next 100 years, by encouraging their youth to study and work together! 2026 and 2027 have been named the “China-Russia Years of Education,” dedicated to education between the two countries, the editorial reports. “At present, more than 150 joint educational institutions and cooperative programs have been established between Chinese and Russian schools and universities, enabling complementary sharing of educational resources. Fifteen university alliances now include more than 800 higher education institutions, while secondary school alliances bring together more than 140 schools.
“As an old saying goes, `It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to cultivate people.’ Mutual understanding and friendship among young people form the deepest public foundation for lasting China-Russia friendship across generations. When young people tell their country’s stories in each other’s languages and forge friendships on each other’s campuses, China-Russia relations gain a long-lasting resilience that no external force can undermine.
“China and Russia are good neighbors that cannot be moved away, and true friends who share weal and woe. This friendship has withstood the test of time, and this cooperation can shoulder heavy responsibilities.” Whatever changes the future brings, “this healthy, stable, and high-level strategic cooperation transcends the bilateral scope, injecting valuable certainty and positive energy into the region and the world, becoming a `ballast’ for maintaining peace and stability,” Global Times concludes.
