SPECIAL PARTNERS

Russia

New phase of comprehensive strategic collaborative partnership

During the 4th CICA Summit this May, President Xi and President Putin expressed their satisfaction with the development of China-Russia relations and decided to push their bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level. The two sides signed a joint statement pledging deeper cooperation in a wide range of fields.

Analysis

"The relationship between China and Russia is unique. Both are major countries and in matters of great regional and global concern, collaboration between the two on common grounds can exert considerable influence. When a country comes under pressure, such collaboration is reflected on the strategic level." (Song Ronghua, Secretary-General of China Public Diplomacy Association)

US

A new-model major power relationship

As China-US ties have experienced highs and lows since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the terms used to describe their relations have also changed several times: a joint statement by China and the US in 1997 said the two countries were devoted to building a "constructive strategic partnership"; during his presidency, George W. Bush regarded China as a "strategic competitor"; when President Hu Jintao visited the US in 2011, the two sides affirmed their commitment to "work together to build a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit".

In the second decade of the 21st century, the concept of "a new-model major power relationship" has been raised with increasing frequency. At their meeting in Annenberg, California last summer, President Xi and President Obama agreed to continue to continue this inititative.

Analysis

"The new-model major-power relationship stands in contrast with the traditional model where confrontation seemed inevitable. The two sides are trying to create a win-win situation on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit, and are seeking to resolve their disputes through dialogue and consultation." (Song Ronghua) 

Pakistan

All-weather strategic partnership of cooperation

The only all-weather strategic cooperative partner of China is Pakistan. In the past 63 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, China and Pakistan have, on the basis of mutual trust and mutual benefit, understood and supported each other on issues of core interest to each other. Developing friendly relations with Pakistan has been a consistent policy of the Chinese government. Successful cooperation between the two on issues of Taiwan, Tibet, anti-terrorism, and relations with the US, has also led to people calling China-Pakistan relations a model of state relations.

Analysis

"The all-weather strategic partnership of cooperation is different from a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. "All-weather" means whenever and however the world situation changes, the two will always remain close and friendly." (Song Ronghua)

Germany

All-round strategic partnership

In March 2014, President Xi and German Chancellor Merkel concluded their meeting with a joint statement announcing the establishment of a China-Germany all-round strategic partnership, the only such partnership China has ever entered with another country. The statement outlined the future development of bilateral relations in 10 respects.

Analysis

"In Chinese, "all-round" (quan fang wei) creates a more vivid impression than "comprehensive" (quan mian). It shows that cooperation between China and Germany will become multi-dimensional. The two sides will step up cooperation in areas such as environmental protection and renewable energy promotion, press forward with global trade liberalization and open investment, and strengthen coordination in fiscal and financial areas. Germany will also support China in its comprehensive reform and the "new four modernizations" process." (Mei Zhaorong, former Chinese ambassador to Germany)

This article is edited and translated from 中国在全世界的58个伙伴; Source: Beijing Times.

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