Source: China Radio International's People In the Know

Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a three-day state visit to China, his first visit to China since being reelected in March. During his visit, he will attend the annual Summit for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a forum that brings together China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. He is also expected to sign a series of cooperative agreements with China, especially in the field of energy.

China and Russia have enjoyed good momentum in the development of their bilateral relations and President Putin's visit is widely expected to take Sino-Russian relations to a new level.

On the China Radio International, Carnegie Moscow Center’s Dmitri Trenin spoke about Putin’s trip to China. He was joined by Feng Shaolei, director of the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University. Trenin said that Putin’s visit to China is important for both China and Russia, as the two countries face a number of shared problems. The two countries can cooperate in different spheres because the Chinese and Russian leaderships have the same political philosophy based on the principles of sovereignty and non-interference. However, Trenin added, Russia and China shouldn't be seen as an opposition to the West, as the relations with the European Union and the United States are among top priorities of the both countries. Trenin stressed that to strengthen bilateral relations, the Russian and Chinese authorities need to enhance trust and build up a long-term strategy of cooperation between the two countries.