The Joint Statement has repeatedly named the United States and its allies, and Russian experts have said so
On May 16-17, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an official state visit to China, marking his first visit since the start of a new presidential term. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two heads of state held formal talks in Beijing and signed a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in the new era.
Why did Putin make China his first visiting country? How to understand the repeated naming of the United States and its allies in the Sino Russian Joint Declaration? Why does Russia value the Far East so much? Is the recent personnel changes at the top of Russia related to its economic transformation? Regarding these issues, Observer Network had a dialogue with Oleg Yanovsky, a political science lecturer at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Yanovsky believes that the "golden billion" or "Western collective" is engaged in a desperate struggle to maintain the so-called "rule-based international order" and prevent independent "global power centers" such as China and Russia from appearing on the world stage.
He said that today, the West is doing everything possible to weaken Russia; Tomorrow, they will disrupt the situation around China. For Russia, China is seen as a key participant and a "global center of power", inevitably at the forefront of leading the establishment of a new and just world order. In the face of the Western neocolonialism that upholds its hegemony, Russia and China need to work together to create a world with diverse sovereign states and diverse civilizations.
Yanovsky emphasized that China is Russia's largest economic and trade partner, and cooperation between the two countries will continue to deepen and develop. The Far East region is a priority cooperation area between China and Russia, and it is crucial to establish new and alternative logistics and production chains in the region.
Yanovsky mentioned the recent personnel changes in Russia's top management, stating that this is closely related to the country's economic transformation. He pointed out that in the face of unprecedented pressure from the West, Russia is transitioning towards a sustainable economic growth model, promoting coordinated work and mutual support between military industrial complexes and civilian sectors.
On May 16th, in Beijing, Russian President Putin reviewed the honor guard.
The following is the full text of the conversation:
Observer Network: After Putin officially took office as president again, he chose China for his first visit. Putin's last visit to Beijing was to attend the the Belt and Road Summit Forum in October 2023. Why is there such frequent high-level interaction between China and Russia?
In the joint statement of tens of thousands of words between China and Russia, the United States and its allies were repeatedly named, and it was pointed out that "developing friendly relations with the People's Republic of China is an important component of Russia's foreign policy". However, it was also reiterated that "the current China Russia relationship goes beyond the military and political alliance model of the Cold War era, and has the nature of non alignment, non confrontation, and not targeting third parties.". How to understand this bilateral relationship?
Yanovsky: The 2023 Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation clearly defines the priority of cooperation with China. For Russia, China is seen as a key participant and a "global center of power", inevitably at the forefront of the transformation leading the establishment of a new just world order.
Faced with the turmoil in the West and the neocolonialism aimed at maintaining its hegemony, cooperation between Russia and China has become closer. This is reflected in the unprecedented economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as close cooperation in technology exchange, scientific development, and personnel exchange. We understand that we need to work together to create a world with diverse sovereign nations and diverse civilizations.
We are well aware that there are regional security issues and global challenges within the framework of the trade war imposed by the West. We see the West using unprecedented illegal sanctions as a punishment tool. China has seen this and understands that it does not belong to the so-called "golden billion people" in the West. Therefore, we have formed a natural and profound understanding and strategic cognition based on common interests, that is, it is necessary to unite and overcome the attempts of hegemonic countries to suppress all non self countries and prevent the emergence of a new and just world order.
Observer's note: The term "one billion people in gold" was first proposed by Russian author Anatoly Tsikunov in his 1990 book. This theory suggests that the population of developed countries (about 1 billion people) consumes the largest share of all resources on Earth, and recognizing their limited resources, they begin to seek to expand their control over the rest of the world to ensure their own advantageous position.
Observer Network: You just mentioned "one billion people in gold". Observer Network noticed that although China's Joint Statement did not mention this term, President Putin also used this concept in an interview with Xinhua News Agency. How did the saying "one billion gold people" come from? What impact will the Russia-Ukraine conflict have on the world pattern of "one billion gold people" in the future?
Yanovsky: The concept of "golden billion people" used by Russian officials refers to a collection of "Western collective" elites and privileged individuals, or as EU Foreign Minister Borrell previously referred to it as the "garden". We are talking about that part of the Western world that is trying to maintain hegemony, including primarily by exploiting the resources of other independent countries, as well as by forcing their governments to comply in order to promote their ideas and practices.
Observer's note: Borelli once proposed the "garden jungle theory" in a speech, comparing Europe to a "garden of political freedom and economic prosperity" and most other parts of the world to a "jungle that may invade the garden". He also called on those "gardeners" who hope to establish a peaceful and legal order to unite and jointly repel the "jungle".
At present, the "golden billion", or what we call the "Western collective" in Russia, are engaged in a desperate struggle to maintain the so-called "rule-based international order", which is the system of rules, regulations, standards, and moral standards that serve their interests and support their leadership. Their task is to prevent other independent, sovereign, and capable "global power centers" from appearing on the world stage to pursue their own policies without the guidance of "Western centers".
The West understands that China and Russia are such "centers of power" and is doing everything possible to prevent such situations from happening. We can review the "trade war" launched by the United States against China, the provocation in the South China Sea, and the unprecedented attempt to establish a security group in Southeast Asia by introducing AUKUS. On the Russian issue, we have seen unprecedented sanctions being imposed by the West, as well as providing long-range weapons to Ukraine's "puppet regime" and attempting to escalate the conflict into a regional pan European war.
The West has invested enormous financial, industrial, and most important reputational resources in the conflict in Ukraine. Losing this conflict not only means losing face, but also means undermining trust in all initiatives of the "Golden Billion". The West believes that this conflict is not just another proxy war, but a struggle for the survival of a rule-based world order. Today, they are doing everything possible to drive Russia out of a fair world order competition. Tomorrow, they will strengthen their AUKUS alliance in Southeast Asia and provoke to disrupt the situation around China.
For us, a just resolution of the situation in Ukraine will be another decisive step towards a fair world order. In this order, true sovereign states, especially the majority of countries around the world, will play a leading role.
Observer Network: In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Putin specifically mentioned that during World War II, Soviet and Chinese soldiers fought side by side against Japanese militarism, and thanked Chinese friends for taking care of Soviet military memorial facilities. In the Joint Statement, it was also mentioned that "both sides plan to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Soviet Union's Patriotic War in Longchong in 2025, and jointly promote the correct view of World War II history.". Do all of these also mean something?
Yanovsky: President Putin undoubtedly emphasized the importance of the historical bond between our two peoples, including the struggle that took place in the historical context of common sacrifice, common victory, and the struggle for sovereignty. Our people understand more than anyone the sacrifices made for greater goals (China suffered the greatest losses during World War II in its struggle against Japanese militarism).
On the afternoon of May 16th, Putin laid a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes.
We are aware of the consequences that the militaristic machines in Japan and Europe will lead to, and President Putin shares the same view, emphasizing the profound understanding of military threats among our two peoples. Against the backdrop of the West's attempt to maintain its hegemony, we once again see policies that promote military conglomerates and blatant provocation. By provoking conflicts in Russia's "neighbors" and attempting to provoke "color revolutions" in Kazakhstan, Belarus, Georgia, and Ukraine, the West is doing everything possible to weaken us.
On the other hand, we have also witnessed unprecedented provocative actions near China's borders: US military bases in the Philippines, military agreements between the United States and major Southeast Asian countries, expansion of AUKUS, South Korea's construction of nuclear submarines, expanding military alliances to influence Japan, and building nuclear submarines in Australia, among others. We have not only seen AUKUS, but also other military alliances, as well as the obvious arms race initiated by the West. We see that senior officials from these countries have made aggressive statements, and the West is constantly trying to weaken Russia. China is clearly aware from this that the West's provocative words and actions will not stop.
In this regard, President Putin used this subtle but highly convincing historical analogy to illustrate that our two peoples have once defended their freedom and sovereignty, and when oppressed, we are willing to fight again to defend our freedom and sovereignty.
Observer Network: The latest joint statement between China and Russia mentions "enhancing the level of cooperation in the fields of industry and innovation, jointly developing advanced industries, strengthening technology and production cooperation, including civil aviation manufacturing, shipbuilding, automobile manufacturing, equipment manufacturing, electronics industry, metallurgy, iron ore mining, chemical industry, and forest industry.". Putin also pointed out in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that Russia will continue to create good legal and organizational conditions for cooperation. Can you introduce what efforts Russia has made before?
Yanovsky: As we can see, in the interview, President Putin emphasized the priority industries that are crucial for the technological development of our country. China is Russia's largest economic and trade partner, and this cooperation will continue to deepen and develop.
When it comes to specific projects, it is important to note the importance of the Siberian Power 2 natural gas pipeline constructed through Mongolia. Secondly, the relationship between port infrastructure and the role of Far Eastern ports as a transit zone for Russia China trade is very important. Once again, the northern waterway project is very important, and cooperation at all levels has been deeply carried out.
In addition, we have seen the development of some important investment projects, such as the cooperation between China and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The first railway bridge spanning the Amur River (also known as the Amur River in Russia), built by RDIF and Chinese partners, connects Russia with Heilongjiang Province in China. These infrastructure and their construction cooperation have set a good precedent for the future of bilateral relations.
Russia and China have a close and great historical relationship in terms of economy and infrastructure construction. From the current development momentum, what we need is not to review history, but to look forward to the future. In the future, there will be more such projects and the depth of cooperation will become increasingly close.
Observer Network: Putin arrived in Harbin on the evening of the 16th and is expected to attend the Russia China Expo and visit Harbin Institute of Technology. The Northeast region of China plays an important role in the economic cooperation between China and Russia. In the Joint Statement, it was also mentioned that "we will actively support local and border cooperation, expand comprehensive exchanges between the two countries' regions. Under the framework of the preferential system in the Russian Far East region, we will strengthen investment cooperation in accordance with the principles of marketization and commercialization, and carry out cooperative production in industrial and high-tech industries.". What specific expectations does the Russian side have for the development of the Far East? Which industries in Northeast China are more valued?
Yanovsky: As I mentioned before, the Far East region is a priority area for cooperation. Here, we mainly discuss logistics, and the establishment of new and alternative logistics and production chains based on large-scale projects such as the North Sea route and the "the Belt and Road". This includes the use of Far Eastern ports, as well as establishing and strengthening inter regional logistics and mutual investment.
In addition, in my opinion, joint venture investment projects would be a good solution, including joint investment in risk trading between Russian and Chinese funds, to implement ambitious technology and infrastructure initiatives.
It is widely believed that developing the Arctic region is particularly important. The Arctic is a priority area for Russia and occupies the second most important position in its foreign policy philosophy. Given the special attention of Western collectives and the resulting militarization of the region, I believe that Russia and China can set a positive example for how to carry out work in the region on the basis of fair sovereignty cooperation by developing mutually beneficial commercial initiatives.
On the evening of May 16th, Putin arrived in Harbin.
Observer: The Russia-Ukraine conflict seems to have promoted Russia's economic transformation to some extent. Is it possible to maintain this momentum? Is the recent personnel adjustment also related to this?
Yanovsky: Russia's special military action against Ukraine undoubtedly made a huge contribution to the transformation of the economic structure of the Russian Federation.
Firstly, we are discussing Russia's transition to a sustainable economic growth model in the face of unprecedented pressure from the West (over 16000 sanctions). The most important part of this transformation is to maintain economic growth and create overall resilience in the economic model; By the way, the newly appointed Minister of Defense, Belousov, happens to be in charge of this matter. Another important aspect is accelerated and efficient industrialization, based not only on large-scale production but also on technological development.
Under the new personnel changes, we see how these two areas can be strengthened and become absolute priorities. Russia has no illusions about the Western position and is preparing for a comprehensive economic transformation, followed by an economic model in the military industrial complex (MIC), science, and civilian sectors. From the perspective of science and economic interaction, we can see that the official statements and personnel changes are clearly related to Russia's technology development strategy released on February 28th.
From the perspective of personnel changes, President Putin has repeatedly stated the need to "integrate" the economy of armed forces and military industrial complexes into the overall economy of the country. From the perspective of the work of the Constitutional Institution of the Russian Federation Security Council, the newly appointed Secretary and former Defense Minister Shoigu is responsible for the Military Industrial Complex Committee, which is also responsible for technical and military cooperation with China. In key government positions, we can see Manturov, who is in charge of industrial affairs, serving as the first deputy prime minister. This is also true in many other places.
The President also stated, "The Russian Federation must make double or even triple its efforts to develop its defense industry."
Overall, the personnel composition we see is fully capable of addressing the challenges we currently face in the context of global transformation, and demonstrates the beginning of our work to transform the Russian economy into an appropriate form. This form was designated by the President, and now military industrial complexes and civilian sectors have achieved collaborative work and mutual support.
