On December 2, 2025, the Valdai Discussion Club and the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy (CIIDS) co-hosted a Russia-China roundtable. The event was held in Guangzhou on the sidelines of the “Understanding China” International Conference.
The roundtable featured leading representatives of the Russian and Chinese expert communities, many of whom are former diplomats and prominent practitioners. Among the high-level experts participating in the conference were Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Ambassador Sun Linjiang, former Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee Zhou Li, and Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club Andrey Bystritskiy.
The roundtable aimed to align the approaches of the most authoritative scholars from both countries on the most pressing issues of international development, cooperation, and security at the regional level in Greater Eurasia, as well as on bilateral relations between Russia and China.
During the discussion, participants emphasized the common interests of Moscow and Beijing on most critical issues of contemporary development and reaffirmed their commitment to further joint efforts for the establishment of a just multipolar world order, free from divisive lines and exclusive bilateral or bloc-based formats. The participants also underscored that Russia and China are now leading powers of the World Majority and adhere to a firm stance on the democratization of international relations. In this context, Russian and Chinese experts highlighted the importance of multilateral cooperation in Eurasia – the shared home of Russia, China, and other nations of the continent – the need to resist attempts to revise the outcomes of the common victory over fascism and militarism in World War II, and the importance of strengthening the role of the United Nations and international law.
Regarding bilateral relations, it was noted that they have reached an unprecedented level of mutual trust and shared interests. The experts also emphasized the necessity of rapidly strengthening economic relations, complementing the dynamically growing trade with mutual investments, technological cooperation, and large-scale infrastructure projects in Greater Eurasia.
In conclusion, the participants acknowledged the high effectiveness of such expert dialogue formats and expressed a shared desire to further develop cooperation between the Valdai Discussion Club and the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy.
