China and Russia have been witnessing a healthy and steady development of bilateral ties over the past decade.

Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to Russia from June 15 to 18, marking the 10th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, will give a further boost to the relationship.

The treaty, widely seen as a landmark in bilateral relations, states the two countries' pledge to be friends rather than adversaries and lays a solid foundation for the long-term development of their strategic partnership.

Fruitful decade

During the 20th century, Sino-Russian relations have experienced both alignment and confrontation for historical reasons. After China and Russia officially forged diplomatic ties in 1991, the two heads of state decided to establish bilateral ties that differed from those in the Cold War.

In 2001, then Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the China-Russia Treaty on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

The 25-article treaty stresses a new type of state-to-state relationship, which neither seeks alliance, confrontation nor targets against any third country.

The treaty, proceeding from the strategic needs of both countries, also meets their common wishes to promote world peace and development.

In the last decade, frequent high-level exchanges have demonstrated the steady and healthy development of Sino-Russian relations, most recently by President Hu's visit to Russia on the 65th Anniversary of Victory Day in May last year and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's state visit to China last September.

The two sides have achieved fruitful results in bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Trade volume has increased by more than sevenfold, reaching a record high of 56.83 billion U.S. dollars in 2008.

Despite the global economic downturn, bilateral trade volume rebounded to 55.45 billion dollars in 2010, surging by 43.1 percent year-on-year.

The two sides have closely coordinated on international issues and supported each other on core interests and major concerns, carrying out close cooperation in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS group and the Group of 20.

In particular, China and Russia reached the final agreement over their eastern border in 2005, putting an end to 40 years of negotiations and making their 4,300-km-long border a symbol of good-neighborly relations and harmonious coexistence.

Moreover, the success of the "State Year" and the "Language Year" held in China and Russia brought cultural exchanges and friendships between the two peoples to an unprecedented high level.

Both countries' leaders say that Sino-Russian relations are at an all-time high, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui told Xinhua in a recent interview, adding that the relations between the two countries are becoming a model for bilateral relations of the world's big powers.

Bright prospects

At present, China and Russia need to further pass the tests facing a world undergoing major development and great changes.

Hegemonism and power politics have been growing; the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism have been rampant in some regions; gaps between the rich and the poor have been expanding. All of these problems threaten the development of China, Russia and the world at large.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the two sides should seize the opportunities to further promote world peace and development and advance their strategic partnership.

President Hu's upcoming visit will chart the path for their cooperation over the next ten years, said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping.

Cheng revealed that leaders of both countries will sign a joint statement on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the friendship treaty, as well as a series of cooperative documents.

Hu's visit is expected to enhance strategic mutual trust and support on issues concerning core interests and deepen communication on issues of common concern, he added.

Mikhail Titarenko, president of the Russia-China Friendship Association (RCFA) and head of the Far East Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua that he believes Sino-Russian ties have bright prospects.

Based on mutual benefits, Russia and China can tap potentials in cooperation in various fields, including trade, energy, and people-to-people exchanges.

"We see President Hu as an old friend of Russia," Titarenko said. "The whole Russian society and all Russian Sinologists are eager to see him."

"Undoubtedly, President Hu's visit will absolutely provide a new impetus to bilateral ties," he said.