China’s newly elected President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Russia on March 22-24, 2013. Choosing Russia as Xi's first destination shows that the Sino-Russian relationship is a priority for China’s new leadership and the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries is at a high level and of special significance.

Sino-Russian relations are currently experiencing their prime since being forged decades ago. Considering each other to be important opportunities for development as well as first-choice partners, China and Russia have solidified the strategic mutual trust between them in a way that has never been witnessed before.

Politically, China and Russia respect the other’s state sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity and development paths. They also firmly support each other’s efforts in maintaining stability, boosting economy and improving people’s livelihoods.

Economically, China and Russia have significantly furthered their cooperation, with bilateral trade volume in 2012 rising to a record-high 88.16 billion U.S. dollars, up 11.2 percent year-on-year. China has been Russia’s biggest trade partner for two years running and new progresses have been made in mutual investment as well as energy cooperation.

From a social viewpoint, after the “Year of China/Russia” and “Year of the Chinese/Russian” programs concluded respectively in Russia and China, China successfully hosted the "Tourism Year of Russia" in 2012. About 343,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Russia that year, up 47 percent year-on-year. The “Tourism Year of China” is about to kick off in Russia this year, which will hopefully lift the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Russia and Russian tourists in China to a new high.

All of these programs have undoubtedly fostered the mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries and their peoples, as well as reinforced the social foundation for a sound Sino-Russian relationship.

On an international level then, facing ever-complicated global and regional situations, China and Russia have strengthened their strategic coordination, firmly supported each other in handling affairs involving core interests and frequently exchanged thoughts on global crises and regional disputes. They have not only safeguarded each other’s interests, but also made remarkable contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity.

Currently, both China and Russia are at their critical period of development. Russia, a new member of the World Trade Organization, is speeding up its strategy of developing the Russian Far East and eastern Siberian area. In transforming its modes of development, China has set “opening up to Russia” as a strategic step in the nation’s all-round opening up. Highly complementary of one another, China and Russia will collaborate closely in the fields of investment, energy and high-tech innovation.

While converting political advantages into actual fruits of cooperation and enriching the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination through practical collaboration in major programs, China and Russia have made significant accomplishments in their respective social and economic development and surely will advance their ties to a higher level in the future.

China and Russia shall retain and take advantage of their important periods of strategic opportunities, as well as seek common development and prosperity. In the interests of both countries and their peoples, such efforts will promote the two marching forward side by side in achieving modernization and rejuvenation.

And now, the time for doing so is just right.

The author is the Chinese ambassador to Russia.

The article was written in Chinese and translated by Fan Junmei.