On April 26-27, the Joint Annual Russian-Chinese conference, organised by the Valdai Club and the Centre for Russian Studies at East China Normal University (ECNU), took place in Shanghai. This year, its title was “The Era of Multipolarity: New Horizons of Russian-Chinese Cooperation”.
ECNU is one of China's most authoritative platforms for providing expert support and research on bilateral relations and coordinating Russian-Chinese strategies in a broader international context. The Centre is the Valdai Club's flagship partner in China and every year brings together the most qualified experts from across China, closely involved in decision-making mechanisms. This positioning of the annual conferences as key events in Russian-Chinese academic and expert dialogue always attracts media attention in both countries.
Therefore, It is not surprising that leading representatives of the Russian and Chinese expert communities participated in the conference. Russia's participation in the conference included experts from scientific and educational institutions such as the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), the Institute of China and Modern Asia (RAS), the National Research University Higher School of Economics (NRU HSE), the Russian International Affairs Council, and the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy. The Chinese academic community was represented by specialists and heads of the most important government think tanks and universities, including the Diplomatic Academy of China, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Shanghai Academy of International Studies, the State Council Research Centre of China, Fudan University, the East China University of Applied Sciences, Beijing International Studies University, the China Academy of Contemporary International Relations, the China Centre for International Economic Relations, and a number of other respected Chinese organisations. This diverse group of participants allowed the conference to comprehensively discuss both the current state of international relations and the global economy, as well as the potential for Sino-Russian cooperation. It's worth noting that the conference discussions fully demonstrated the significant progress the expert dialogue between Russia and China has made in recent years. The discussions are now not only broad in scope, but also exceptionally deep and reflect mutual trust. Speaking at the opening of the conference, Ma Yugang, President of East China Normal University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted that it is a traditional honour for Shanghai to host such a representative group of specialists from both countries—this has already become an important sign of the city's intellectual life and its international ties. In turn, Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, emphasised that Chinese-Russian conferences in partnership with the ECNU are not only a significant event of the year for scientific cooperation between the two countries, but also an invariable source of new knowledge and understanding of the nature of global processes and the development of bilateral relations between our countries. For his part, Sha Hailin, President of the Shanghai Public Relations Association and former Deputy Director pf the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, drew the attention of conference participants and guests to its significant role in developing common approaches to international affairs and cooperation between Russia and China by Chinese and Russian scholars. It is important to note that the conference, in becoming a tradition, represents an important milestone, allowing both parties to compare notes, clarify each other's positions over time, and identify priorities for future expert dialogue.
Assessing the overall content of the discussions, several key points emerge. First, the approach and style of the discussions have changed significantly: whereas previously, critical assessments of the state of the international environment as a whole were primarily expressed by Russian participants, these views are now shared by the Chinese side. Apparently, US policy over the past year and a half, aimed at undermining, if not destroying, the foundations of the modern world order, has played a fundamental role here. Thus, during the first session of the conference, titled “The Emergence of a Multipolar World in Turbulent Times: The Global South and the Responsibility of the Great Powers”, participants noted the unprecedented nature of turbulence in contemporary global politics and compared the current moment to the Warring States period in Chinese history (5th-3rd centuries BC). They also vigorously pointed out the violation of decades-old norms and a degradation of the ethics of interstate relations. Everyone agreed that the world is experiencing a turning point in international security: Russia has crushed the unipolar world with military might, but now, as the conference participants agreed, Russia and China must become guarantors of international security.
Second, the Chinese and Russian expert communities share a common focus on strengthening and partially reforming the UN and international law. In this sense, China and Russia remain crucial allies and powers, opposing Western policies that increasingly undermine institutions and the rule of law. The conference participants agreed that Russia and China, as great powers, should jointly develop the contours of a future world order in the face of the objective weakness of the UN and the US withdrawal from many international institutions.
China and Russia also serve as important partners for countries in the Global South, providing them with resources and technology for development and helping them overcome their one-sided dependence on the West and its neocolonialist policies. Furthermore, Russia and China are consistent advocates of strengthening multipolar principles in global politics. In this regard, all conference participants agreed that, in general, multipolarity is already a reality of international life, and that it is now necessary to improve the international order, block the West's destructive activity, and continually strengthen the democratisation of international relations.
Third, discussions on Sino-Russian relations took on a more substantive nature. This was the focus of the second session of the conference, “Russia–China Relations in the 30th Anniversary Year of the Strategic Partnership and the 25th Anniversary Year of the Treaty on Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation: Shaping the Architecture of Eurasian Interconnectedness". The theme was also discussed during the third session, which focused on new opportunities for qualitative development: increasing the effectiveness of cooperation in energy, technology, and finance. This formulation of the topics allowed the speakers to cover virtually the entire spectrum of current Russian-Chinese relations, placing the issues discussed within a broad international and historical context. It was understood that much has already been achieved and the focus is on strengthening what has been established; there remains even greater potential for cooperation between the parties in the face of the increasing erosion of the global economy and growing technological rivalry.
All session participants shared the view that it is crucial for Russia and China to further strengthen their practical cooperation across a wide range of areas, which is already at a high level but requires improvement, given the changing international situation. Current priorities include transport and energy connectivity, pipeline projects, the Northern Sea Route, and the overall complementarity and resilience of the Chinese and Russian economies at both the national and regional levels (the Russian Far East and the Chinese Northeast). Technological cooperation was discussed at length at the conference, including the creation of a joint research laboratory in the field of 5G/6G, the possibility of discussing the idea of a consortium for AI development, and new types of cooperation in the financial sector, including clearing centres for the financing of large infrastructure projects. The need to ensure the mutual recognition of standards in banking and insurance was also discussed.
Finally, the issues discussed during the fourth session of the conference, titled “Social Construction and Strengthening the Foundations of Russian-Chinese Relations: Youth, Education, Media, and Autonomous Knowledge Systems,” were quite significant. Conference participants concluded that both sides need to accelerate and scale up the training of specialists capable of supporting practical interaction between Russia and China, including translators and negotiators in foreign economic activity. China is prepared to send students to Russia for training in relevant programmes and advanced training courses, and Russia has the necessary resources for this at the level of leading universities. Creating conditions for welcoming “elite” tourists from Russia and China and creating new infrastructure for the tourism industry were also considered important. The parties also actively discussed such achievements in bilateral relations as a visa-free regime for certain categories of citizens and the possibility of introducing a permanent visa-free regime between Russia and China. This will consolidate many achievements in economic, human, cultural, and educational ties.
In conclusion, we can agree with the opinion of those conference participants who believe that the annual China-Russia forums of the Valdai Club and East China Normal University in Shanghai are both serious academic events and brainstorming sessions, which establish the foundation for developing future public policies for both countries. For their part, the Valdai Club and the Centre for Russian Studies at East China Normal University have the authority and resources to ensure that their regular conferences continue to be significant, flagship events in China-Russia relations.
