Vitaly Mankevich on Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to China

In my opinion, the upcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China has significant differences from previous ones.

Firstly, I believe that the results of the agreements made during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia in March of this year will be evaluated. That visit had epoch-making significance, and many cooperation priorities were outlined. Six months later, it is possible to assess what has been achieved and what difficulties have arisen. An important advantage of both visits is the active participation of business representatives. Russian and Chinese businessmen can directly express their opinions to the top leadership of our countries and receive a quick response.

Secondly, the key factor is the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the forum for promoting the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. If we objectively evaluate the achievements of Chinese-Russian cooperation within the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, it is quite difficult to separate them from the overall results of interaction. Over the past 10 years, our countries have taken a big step forward, primarily in terms of the development of political relations, trade growth, and some areas of economic cooperation, such as the oil and gas and nuclear energy industries. However, there is still work to be done within the framework of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. Now, the possibilities for Russia's integration into the initiative will be discussed at the highest level and in the context of modern realities. Putin emphasized before the visit that Russia's participation in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative fully corresponds to its interests. And the presence of business at the forum will help shape specific proposals for Russia's participation in the initiative. The Russian-Chinese Business Council participated in working groups to develop proposals for new agreements, including initiating cooperation in the automotive industry and agriculture sector.

In addition, it is important for Russia to study the experience of other countries within the framework of the initiative. For example, on October 17, the leaders of Russia and Vietnam held a personal meeting on the sidelines of the forum. As we know, the program of the Russian delegation's work at the forum includes many meetings with representatives of countries actively participating in the implementation of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative and already benefiting from it.

Thirdly, we expect that this visit of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to China and participation in the "One Belt, One Road" forum will become a new impetus for the integration of the Eurasian Economic Union with the Belt and Road Initiative. Objectively speaking, since the Joint Statement of Russia and China on Cooperation in Conjunction of the Construction of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt was adopted on May 8, 2015, not everything has been done in this direction, although there are already quite concrete results. For example, the EAEU countries, in the course of joint work with China within the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, have already provided $24 billion in investments. Moreover, this figure is not static and grows due to mutually beneficial projects.

Fourthly, Russian and Chinese businessmen will have more opportunities to get to know each other and expand their connections. I still believe that the insufficient knowledge of businessmen in our countries about each other is a restraining factor in cooperation between Russia and China. I am confident that our entrepreneurs will use this visit and forum to properly promote Russia's export opportunities and the potential of its market.

Fifth, I hope that the forum and the visit will become an important stage in improving mutual scientific, technical, and production cooperation. It is obvious to me that it is no longer enough for our countries to increase trade turnover annually, and the next step is mutual integration of scientific, technical, and production potentials to create high value-added products for the markets of Russia and China, as well as for exports.

Sixth, I believe that the business communities of Russia and China will receive an important signal from President Vladimir Putin's visit to China and his meeting with Chairman Xi Jinping that all previous agreements are still in force, that the relationship between our countries is standing the test of time and external pressure, and that the government is ready to listen to the interests of businesses and respond promptly to them. Most countries in the world will see how positive and sustainable the cooperation between Russia and China is, and will appreciate all the benefits of partnering with us. I am confident that the Russian-Chinese model of cooperation can be extended to our countries' relations with third countries. Furthermore, unfriendly states to Russia and China will also receive a signal that their plans to divide our countries are doomed to fail.