Chronologies
China - Russia
Chronology
: China’s Finance Minister Lan Fo’an and Russian counterpart Anton Siluanov hold the 9th China-Russia Financial Dialogue in Beijing. They sign an MoU on audit standards and audit supervision to facilitate cross-border capital flow and bond issuance between China and Russia. They also agree to work with other multilateral forums for post-Covid recovery and to cooperate on BRICS’ New Development Bank (NDB) with its five new members starting from 2024.
: Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak co-chair the 20th Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission on Energy Cooperation in Beijing.
: Russia and China conduct 7th joint air patrol over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea with Russia’s Tupolev-95MS strategic bombers and China’s Hong-6K strategic bombers. Russia’s Sukhoi-35S and China’s Su-30/Jian-11B provide support along the route. The first joint patrol was made in 2019.
: China and Russia hold consultations on human rights affairs in Beijing. Special Representative for Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China Yang Xiaokun co-chaired the consultations with Russian counterpart Grigory Evguenievich Lukiyantsev, director of the Department for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.
: Fourteenth Plenary Session of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development is held in Beijing. China’s Vice President Han Zheng meets representatives of both sides.
: Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin leads a delegation to China at the invitation of Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. President Xi meets Volodin on Nov. 22.
: Tenth meeting of the dialogue mechanism between the ruling parties of China and Russia is held online. Both Putin and Xi send congratulation messages.
: President Putin receives Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow. Zhang holds a “regular meeting of the commission on military-technical cooperation” with his Russian counterpart. Putin told Zhang that Russia and China “are not seeking to create any military alliances using Cold War-era templates and have been maintaining constructive ties which have become a serious stability factor globally.” He also speaks highly on economic relations with China.
: Fourth meeting of the council of cooperation between the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Volga Federal District is held in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. It is co-chaired by China’s Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing and Russia’s Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Volga Federal District Igor Komarov.
: Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian PM Mishustin meet on the sidelines of the 22nd SCO annual PM meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Li tells Mishustin that “China supports enterprises from China and Russia in deepening cooperation on automobile manufacturing.”
: Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue Zhai Jun meets in Beijing with Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Bogdanov Mikhail. They exchange views on the Palestine-Israel situation.
: Fifth China-Russia Energy Business Forum is held in Beijing. Xi and Putin send congratulatory letters. More than 400 representatives from China and Russia attend.
: President Putin visits Beijing to participate in the 3rd Belt-Road-Initiative Forum. He holds talks with President Xi Jinping on Oct. 18.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Russian FM Lavrov in Beijing ahead of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF). They also exchange views on the tension between Palestine and Israel.
: Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu meets Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko Andrey Yurevich in Beijing. They have “an in-depth exchange of views” on China-Russia strategic partnership, as well as international and regional issues of interest and concern.
: China’s Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong attends the 5th meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan held in Kazan, Russia. Yue also holds a China-Afghanistan-Pakistan tripartite meeting with Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan Interim Government Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan Asif Durrani on the sidelines of the Moscow Format Consultations in Kazan.
: China, Russia, and Mongolia hold the first trilateral meeting of high representatives for security issues in Moscow. Chinese FM Wang Yi, Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, and Secretary of the National Security Council of Mongolia Enkhbayar Jadamba are present. They discuss the China-Russia-Mongolia Economic Corridor and the proposed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline going through Mongolia. They also agree to further “institutionalize” the trilateral security dialogue.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits Moscow to co-chair the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultations with Russian counterpart National Security Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. In Moscow, Wang first meets Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov who briefs Wang on the Ukraine issue and “applauded China’s position paper for accommodating the security concerns of all parties and being conducive to eliminating the root causes of the conflict.” Putin meets Wang on Sept. 20 and “reiterated Russia’s readiness to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation.” In Moscow, Wang also meets Mongolia’s Secretary of the National Security Council Enkhbayar Jadamba.
: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu meets Russian Ambassador to Beijing Igor Morgulov in Beijing. The two discussed the preparations for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in October.
: China’s Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing visits Vladivostok for the 8th Eastern Economic Forum. President Putin meets him Sept. 12. Zhang holds meetings with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev, who is also Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern District. Zhang also met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, who oversees Russia’s industrial development.
: Russia and China react strongly to the pending release of nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant beginning Aug. 24. China lodges a strong diplomatic protest. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Moskva-24 television that Japan should allow interested countries to take samples of wastewater from the nuclear power plant.
: 15th BRICS Summit is held in Johannesburg, South Africa and invites six countries (Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) to join the group, from Jan. 1, 2024. BRICS’ New Development Bank, headquartered in Shanghai, has provided more than $35 billion for about 100 projects of its member states since 2015.
: Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu attends 11th Moscow Conference on International Security in Russia on Aug. 14-16 and pays a visit to Belarus on Aug. 16-19. In Moscow, Li delivers a speech at the conference, and meets with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and defense heads from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam and others. In Belarus, Li meets President Alexander Lukashenko and Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin.
: Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun invites and meets Russian counterpart Ambassador Alexander Matsegora, his wife, and other Russian diplomats at the Chinese diplomatic mission in Pyongyang. “The sides exchanged opinions on a wide range of issues and agreed to continue close working contacts and friendly cooperation,” according to China. Chinese media also reports that the first secretary of the Russian Embassy in Beijing Kravchenko (Кравченко) also joined the meeting.
: Russian Ambassador to South Korea Andrey Kuli meets Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming at the Chinese Embassy. They discussed Russia-China relations and issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula “in a warm, friendly mood.” This is eight days before the trilateral summit in Camp David between US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
: Chinese FM Wang Yi calls Russian counterpart Lavrov and told him that “on any international and multilateral occasion,” China would “uphold an independent and impartial position, make objective and rational statements, actively promote peace and talks, and strive to seek a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.”
: Ambassador Li Hui, Chinese special envoy for the Ukraine conflict, participates in international conference on the Ukraine-Russian conflict in Saudi Arabia.
: Chinese Embassy in Russia lodges representations over Russian border officers’ “obstruction” of the entry of five Chinese citizens. The Russian side is said to have “brutal and excessive law enforcement conduct” toward the five on July 29 when they tried to enter Russia by car from Kazakhstan through Karauzek port in Astrakhan Oblast. The Russian side says it is an isolated incident and “is out of the political context,” and Russia holds no discriminatory policies or actions against Chinese citizens. Russia’s initial investigation shows that “the destination of their visa application is not consistent with the actual destination, which is in violation of relevant Russian laws and regulations.”
: Chinese and Russian navies conduct the third joint patrol of the western and northern Pacific.
: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Politburo member Li Hongzhong join celebration in Pyongyang, DPRK for the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement ending fighting in the Korean War. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un separately meets Li and Shoigu.
: FM Wang Yi meets Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Nikolai Patrushev on the sidelines of the annual session of BRICS security officials in Johannesburg, South Africa. The two exchange views on bilateral and multilateral issues. Seven non-BRICS nations (Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) are invited and join the conference.
: Chinese UN Ambassador Geng Shuang calls in a UNSC session for the earliest resumption of grain and fertilizer export by Ukraine and Russia. The key for the Ukraine conflict is its political resolution, says Geng.
: Russia and China conduct joint naval drill “North/Interaction-2023” in the Sea of Japan. Five Russian and five Chinese naval ships participate. The Chinese ships pay a “friendly visit” to the port of Vladivostok after the drill. In total, about 20 combat maneuvers were conducted, including joint artillery firing at various types of targets.
: Ukraine’s Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka visits China and holds talks with China’s vice commerce minister where the two chair the 7th session of the China-Ukraine commission of economic and trade cooperation. China expresses interest in “importing quality products from Ukraine.” Kachka is quoted as saying that as an important partner of China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI), Ukraine will “step up efforts to protect the safety of Chinese-funded enterprises in Ukraine.” Kachka is the first high-level visit by a Ukraine official to the country. The visit is apparently worked out by new Ukraine ambassador Pavlo Riabikin, who began his posting a month before.
: Russian FM Lavrov and Chinese FM Wang Yi hold talks in Jakarta on sidelines of the annual AMM events. They discussed bilateral, regional, and global issues, as well as SCO and BRICS affairs.
: Russian FM Lavrov, Chinese FM Wang Yi and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi hold trilateral talks during the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) with dialogue partners in Jakarta. Besides China and Russia, ASEAN’s other dialogue partners include India, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the European Union, the UK, Canada, and the US. Lavrov and Wang Yi express support for ASEAN centrality in regional affairs.
: Russian missile corvettes (Project-20380 Steregushchiy class) Gromkiy (335) and Sovershenniy (333) call at Shanghai for a week-long (June 5-11) “business visit.” Both vessels belong to Russia’s Pacific Fleet, headquartered in Vladivostok. Their port call follows a six-week deployment to and back from Indonesia. Upon departure from Shanghai, the two ships conducted communication, maneuvering, and search and rescue exercises with Chinese naval vessels.
: 23rd SCO summit is held online, despite the lift of COVID restrictions. Iran formally becomes a full member state of the SCO. The 2,400-word New Delhi Declaration calls for “a more representative, just, democratic and multipolar world order” as opposed to “bloc, ideological, and confrontational approaches,” “interference in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of combating terrorism and extremism,” “global anti-missile systems,” and “weaponization of outer space.” It also calls for an early settlement of the Afghan issue and supports the Belt and Road Initiative (with the exception of India).
: Russian Navy Commander Adm. Nikolay Yevmenov begins eight-day visit to China. After meeting Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu in Beijing, Yevmenov traveled to Qingdao and Shanghai where he visited naval facilities, submarine training centers, and naval shipyards.
: Beijing hosts the Eighth International Conference “Russia and China: Cooperation in the New Era” jointly chaired by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Russian FM Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Qin Gang greeted participants during the conference opening in a video message.
: Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds meeting with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko. The meeting is a day after the Wagner mutiny (June 23-24). Rudenko also holds separate meetings with Deputy FM Ma Zhaoxu and Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming. He also participates in the 8th international conference “Russia and China: Cooperation in a New Era” on June 27.
: China supports the Russian government in its effort to stabilize the country following the Wagner “events.”
: China’s UN Ambassador Geng Shuang warns that warring sides should stay away from the nuclear redline.
: Ukraine’s new ambassador to China Pavlo Riabikin presents copies of letters of credence. His appointment was made immediately after the Xi-Zelenskyy telephone talks on April 26. Riabikin is the former Ukraine Minister for Strategic Industries. His arrival fills a position that has been vacant since his predecessor died in February 2021.
: In his speech to the plenary session of the 26th St Petersburg International Economic Forum, President Putin says that over 80% of Russian trade with China is in the ruble or the yuan.
: President Putin sends a message for President Xi’s 70th birthday. This is reciprocity for Xi’s greeting message to Putin’s 70th birthday on Oct. 7, 2022.
: Two Russian Tu-96 and two Chinese H-6K strategic bombers conduct the sixth joint patrols of the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and Western Pacific. Russian bombers landed and took off from a Chinese military airfield.
: China’s Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visits Russia as the last stop of his five-nation tour (Ukraine, Poland, France, and Germany) to discuss a peaceful ending of the Ukraine conflict. Li held talks with FM Lavrov and Deputy Foreign Ministers Rudenko Andrey Yurevich and Galuzin Mikhail Yuryevich.
: President Xi is invited to deliver a speech to the second Eurasian Economic Forum of the Eurasian Economic Union via video. The forum is held online and offline in Moscow.
: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visits China. He starts his trip in Shanghai where he holds talks with President Xi and Premier Li Qing. The two prime ministers sign five agreements in the areas of investment, customs phytosanitary requirements, patent rights, sports, etc. In Beijing, Mishustin visits Qinghua University and lays a wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square. In Shanghai, he meets the Russian business community, joins a Russia-Chinese business forum, meets BRICS New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff, and visits Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology.
: Chen Wenqing, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, travels to Moscow for the 11th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues. Chen gives a speech on May 24. On May 22, Chen and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev co-chair the eighth meeting of the China-Russia law-enforcement and security cooperation mechanism. Chen holds separate meetings, on the sidelines of the Security Conference, with Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin, heads of the SCO and BRICS delegations.
: China’s Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visits Poland and exchanges views with Polish officials on the Ukraine issue.
: First 5+1 summit between China and five central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) is held in Xi’an, China. President Xi Jinping chairs the summit and gives a keynote speech calling for more practical and institutionalized cooperation. The heads of the six nations issue the Xi’an Declaration and six other documents. More than 100 cooperation deals are inked during the two-day summit. A Chinese diplomat is quoted as saying that the newly elevated China-Central Asian platform does not target any third party. Nor does it intend to compete with any other mechanisms.
: China’s Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visits Ukraine, the first stop of his five-nation tour (Poland, France, Germany, and Russia) to discuss a peaceful end to the Ukraine conflict. Li holds talks with President Zelenskyy and other senior officials. In late February, China publishes its 12-point “position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”
: Chinese FM Qin Gang and Russian FM Lavrov meet on sidelines of the SCO annual foreign ministerial meeting in New Delhi, India.
: India chairs the annual SCO defense ministers’ meeting in New Delhi. The SCO defense chiefs pledge to boost strategic communication, focus on consensus, and expand SCO cooperation and jointly safeguard regional security and stability.
: Chinese FM Qin Gang chairs the fourth foreign ministerial meeting with five Central Asian counterparts in Xi’an, China and holds separate meetings with them. Qin tells them that China will firmly support Central Asian countries in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, security, and territorial integrity, support the countries in independently choosing development paths in light of their national conditions, and oppose any external interference in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries. Qin also announces that the first China-Central Asia Summit will be held in Xi’an in May.
: Vice FM Ma Zhaoxu holds a “diplomatic consultation” with Russian First Deputy FM Vladimir Gennadievich Titov in Beijing. They exchange views on the current international situation, the foreign policies of both countries and international and regional issues of mutual interest and concern.
: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov meets with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Samarkand of Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the SCO annual foreign ministerial meeting. Lavrov describes relations with China as “robust and resilient.” Prior to this, the two foreign ministers joined Iranian and Pakistani for the 2nd informal meeting on Afghanistan. A joint statement is released calling for more international cooperation on the Afghan issue.
: China and France agree to work for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict during French President Macron’s three-day visit to China. “The two countries support any effort to foster a restoration of peace in Ukraine on the basis of international law and the goals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” reads Article 10 of their joint statement.
: China’s UN Ambassador Geng Shuang calls on all nuclear-weapon states to effectively reduce the risk of nuclear war. He also calls for the abolition of nuclear sharing arrangements, no deployment of nuclear weapons abroad by nuclear weapons states, and the withdrawal of nuclear weapons deployed aboard. Geng cites China’s peace proposal for the Ukraine conflict that opposing armed should not attack nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities.
: Chinese FM Qin Gang has a phone call with Ukrainian FM Kuleba. Qin reportedly says that he hopes both sides would “keep alive the hope of dialogue and negotiation and will not close the door to a political settlement.”
: China, Russia, and Iran hold a joint naval drill, code-named “Security Bond-2023,” in the Gulf of Oman. Two Russian ships and one Chinese vessel join the exercises.
: China announces the contribution of 200,000 euros to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for technical assistance to Ukraine for the safety and security of nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
: Foreign Minister Qin Gang meets Russian FM Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi.
: China issues a 12-point “Position Paper on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.”
: Wang Yi, director of CCP’s Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission, visits Moscow for talks with Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev, head of Russia’s Security Council, Foreign Minister Lavrov, and President Putin.
: China releases a “Global Security Initiative Concept Paper,” calling for common, sustainable security and sovereignty for all.
: Zhang Jun, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, says that China supports Russia’s draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council to investigate sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022. Russian submits a draft UNSC resolution to investigate the bombing following publication of Seymour Hersh‘s article on Feb. 8, 2023.
: Russia, China, and South Africa hold second joint naval drill, Mosi-2, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa. Three South African ships were joined by two Russian and three Chinese naval vessels. In November 2019, the three navies held the first joint naval exercises off Cape Town in waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
: China’s top diplomat Wang Yi meets Ukraine FM Kuleba at the latter’s request on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference.
: China’s Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong visits Russia and holds talks with Russian counterpart Zamir Kabulov in Moscow. They exchange in-depth views on the situation in Afghanistan, China-Russia coordination on Afghanistan, and other topics.
: Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu travels to Moscow for consultation with Russian counterparts Andrei Rudenko and Sergei Vershinin. They engage in “deep exchange” regarding global and regional issues. He also meets Russian FM Lavrov and the two call for “an early resumption of tourist trips between the two countries.”
: Sino-Russian trade in 2022 increases by 29.3% to $190.8 billion, according to the Chinese customs office.
: China’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds a telephone talk with Russian counterpart Lavrov. Qin stresses that Chinese-Russian relations are based on the principles of non-allegiance, and non-confrontation, while not targeting any third party.
: Putin and Xi hold a video conference. In addition to exchange of New Year greetings, the two also discuss the Ukraine issue, including the possibility of a peace negotiation.
: President Putin inaugurates via video the Kovykta gas field (1.8 trillion cm reserves) and the 800-km Kovykta-Chayanda section of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline.
: Russian and Chinese navies conduct Joint Sea-2022 naval exercises in the East China Sea. Four Russian warships join five Chinese vessels and practice mine sweeping, air defense, communication, and anti-submarine items. It is the 10th drill of this kind since 2012.
: Chairman of the United Russia party and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev visits Beijing and hold talks with CPC chairman Xi. Medvedev delivers a message from President Putin.
: SCO and CIS defense ministers hold joint meeting in Moscow. Chinese Defense Minister Col. Gen. Wei Fenghe attends via video link. President Putin gives a video address, urging participants to “continue developing a constant exchange of information in defense policy within the SCO and the CIS, share experience in building national armed forces, ramping up military-technical cooperation and introducing the most advanced armaments and hardware.”
: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang jointly chair the 27th prime minister meeting via video.
: Russian and Chinese strategic bombers conduct a joint patrol over the western Pacific. Four Russian Tu-95 and two Chinese H-6K bombers fly over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea during an eight-hour mission. A Chinese YU-20 tanker, J-16 fighter jets, Russia’s Su-30 SM, and Su-35S fighter jets escort the mission. This is the 5thtime since the two sides started in 2019 and the second time in 2022. As part of the drills, Russian bombers for the first time land in China and the Chinese bombers fly to an air base in Russia.
: Chinese FM Wang Yi meets in Beijing with newly-appointed Russian Ambassador to China Morgulov.
: Russia’s space agency Roscosmos and China National Space Administration (CNSA) sign two documents: one on bilateral space cooperation in 2023-2027 and the other on cooperation in creating a joint scientific lunar station to be completed by 2035.
: Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao meets in Beijing with newly-appointed Russian Ambassador to China Morgulov.
: FM Wang Yi meets Russian FM Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Indonesia. Wang tellsLavrov that China endorses Russia’s no nuclear pledge on Ukraine and acknowledges that Russia reiterated its position that a nuclear war was “impossible and inadmissible.” “It is a rational and responsible position from Russia.” China reportedly objects to calling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “war” in a joint communique.
: Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming meets in Beijing newly appointed Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov.
: Russian Foreign Ministry issues a statement that Moscow strictly adheres to the principle of the inadmissibility of nuclear war in terms of its nuclear deterrence policy.
: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang chairs the 21st SCO Prime Ministerial meeting.
: Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu meets new Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov in Beijing.
: President Xi sends a congratulatory message to Russia-China Friendship Association on its 65th founding anniversary.
: Russian FM Lavrov and Chinese FM Wang Yi hold telephone conversation. Lavrov briefs Wang on Russia’s special operation in Ukraine and thanks China for supporting Russia’s stance on Ukraine. Wang informs Lavrov about the outcomes of the CPC’s 20th congress (Oct. 16-22).
: Putin sends a message of greetings to President Xi on his re-election to the post of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee.
: Putin signs document making 2022 and 2023 Years of Russian-Chinese Cooperation in Sports and Fitness. This includes an international festival of university sports in Yekaterinburg in 2023 in which university teams from BRICS, SCO, and CIS member states will take part.
: Russia and China sign contracts for deployment of Russia’s GLONASS stations in China (Changchun, Urumqi, and Shanghai) and China’s Beidou system stations in Russia (Obninsk, Irkutsk, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky).
: President Xi Jinping sends a message of condolence to Putin over a school shooting incident in the country.
: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov accuses the United States of “playing with fire” on the Taiwan issue in his speech at the UNGA meeting.
: FM Wang Yi meets Ukraine Foreign Minister Kuleba on the sidelines of the UNGA. Wang briefs Kuleba on China’s “impartial and just” position on the Ukraine conflict, saying that China “never stands idly by, never adds fuel to the fire, and never takes advantage of the situation for self-interests.” Kuleba reaffirms Ukraine’s support for the one-China principle.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
: 17th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation is hold in Fujian Province facing Taiwan. It is co-chaired by senior security officials (Yang Jiechi and Nikolai Patrushev). The consultation reportedly “achieved positive results.”
: SCO holds its 22nd summit in Uzbekistan, the first in-person gathering since the pandemic. SCO expansion is one of the main issues. The 6th China-Mongolia-Russian summit is hold on the sidelines of the SCO summit. Among the observer and partner participants were Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus), Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi (Iran), Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh (Mongolia), Ilham Aliyev (Azerbaijan), Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Türkiye) and Serdar Berdimuhamedov (Turkmenistan).
: Four Russian naval ships and three Chinese vessels launch their 2nd joint Pacific patrol. They are spottedoff the Alaska waters by US Coast Guard on Sept. 19.
: Xi and Putin meet in person on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan.
: Deng Li, China’s vice foreign minister on Middle Eastern affairs, holds political consultation with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov via video link.
: CPC Politburo member Yang Jiechi meets in Beijing with the outgoing Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov.
: Top legislator Li Zhanshu pays an official visit to Russia and meets President Putin in Vladivostok. He was invited by Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets in Beijing with outgoing Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov who had been in the position since 2013.
: Russia conducts its Vostok-2022 military drill in the Far East involving more than 50,000 troops from 13 countries, including 2,000 servicemen, 300 vehicles, 21 aircraft, and 3 warships from China. President Putin observes the drill on Sept. 6. For the first time, Chinese fighter-bombers (J-10B) take off from China and drop their payload inside Russia.
: Outgoing Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov meets in Beijing with Li Zhanshu, chairman of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. Li spoke highly of Denisov’s contribution to Sino-Russian relations.
: Mikhail Gorbachev, first and last Soviet president, dies in Moscow. China expresses condolences over his. Chinese foreign ministry spokesmen Zhao Lijian says that “Mr. Gorbachev made positive contributions to the normalization of China-Soviet Union relations.”
: Russia conducted its “Vostok” (East)-2022“ exercises involving 50,000 military personnel, more than 5,000 pieces of military equipment, including 140 aircraft, 60 warships, boats and support vessels. China, Algeria, India, Belarus, Tajikistan and Mongolia participated. The PLA sends 2,000 servicemen, 300 pieces of equipment, 21 airplanes, and three warships. Vostok-2018 included nearly 300,000 troops including for the first time from the Chinese army. The PLA claims that its participation “is unrelated to the current international and regional situation.”
: Tashkent hosts SCO’s 17th Meeting of Security Council Secretaries under the presidency of Uzbekistan.
: Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe addresses 10th Moscow Conference on International Security.
: In his speech to the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security, President Putin depicts Pelosi’s visit as “a thoroughly planned provocation.”
: Army-2022 international military-technical forum including a military equipment expo kicks off at the Patriot Exhibition Center outside Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry was the organizer of the event.
: China participates in 8th annual International Army Games in Russia (main site) and 11 other countries.
: TASS cites Chinese Ambassador Zhang Hanhui as saying that the US the West was now “replicates Ukrainian scenario regarding Taiwan.”
: Russian FM Lavrov meets in Phnom Penh with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. They criticized “the policy of lawlessness, demonstrated by the US colleagues, who are seeking to establish their dominance.”
: Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev (Russian president in 2008-12 and prime minister in 2012-20) calls Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan a “malicious provocation.”
: Russian FM Lavrov says, regarding Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, that he did not see any other “reason to create such an irritant literally out of nowhere.”
: Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov describes Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as “purely provocative.” Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the International Committee of Russia’s Federation Council, or upper house of Parliament, goes as far as to say that Russia may offer assistance to China if asked.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization holds its annual foreign ministerial meeting in Uzbekistan. Wang Yi and Lavrov joined the session.
: Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming has a phone call with Vice Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov of Russia. They exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The two agreed to maintain close coordination regarding the Korean issue.
: Chinese FM Wang Yi criticizes US effort to divide Russia and China when he was interviewed by Chinese media.
: Chinese FM Wang Yi meets Russian FM Lavrov on sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Indonesia. Wang repeated China’s claim to hold an “objective and impartial” position on Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, while confirming deepening bilateral cooperation with Russia.
: President Xi chairs the BRICS 14th summit in Beijing via video. The summit’s Beijing Declaration was adopted and released at the event. Both Xi and Putin joined the event via video. Membership expansion was a key issue for the summit.
: In his virtual speech at the BRICS Business Forum, President Xi criticizes military alliances and hegemonism that led to the Ukraine crisis. Xi also promoted the concept of “indivisible security” in his Global Security Initiative unveiled in April 2022.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin says that China and Ukraine “maintain open and smooth lines of communication.”
: Xi and Putin talk over the phone. They reaffirmed support to each other in the economic, diplomatic and security areas. Putin briefed Xi on Russia’s operations in Ukraine. They also discussed mil-mil relations.
: Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe says that “on the Ukraine crisis, China has never provided any material support to Russia,” adding that “China-Russia relations is a partnership, not an alliance. It does not target any third party.”
: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says at the Shangri-La Dialogue that the world must not leave any country behind that is “at the mercy of another country which is more powerful, in financial terms, in territorial terms, and in terms of equipment.” He did not mention tensions between Taiwan and China in a Q&A after his formal speech.
: The 3rd “China+Central Asia” (C5+1) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in person in Nur-Sultan (Astana before March 2019). The five Central Asian countries are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. C+C5 ministers all agreed to elevate C+C5 by setting up a mechanism of C+C5 head of states summit. In March, the US (Blinken) and C5 held the 3rd C5+1 foreign minister meeting via video. The first one was held in November 2015 with John Kerry as US Secretary of State.
: Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong says at a virtual meeting with Russia’s envoy to the Volga Federal District that China and Russia had elevated their “level of cooperation under new circumstances.” Both agree to deepen cooperation between local governments of the two countries via the “Yangtze-Volga mechanism.”
: A video conference is held by technical, transportation and economic planning experts from China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. They had a “thorough exchange of views” on construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway, which had been shelved for 25 years at least partially because of Russia’s reservation. The CKU will cut the freight journey between China and Europe by 900 km and 7 days compared with the current Russian and Kazak transit routes. Construction will begin in 2023.
: China FM Wang Yi says that “China is willing to work with the Russian side to continue to implement the important consensus of the two heads of state and promote the development of the global governance system in a more just and reasonable direction.” Wang gave the video speech at a forum held by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Russian International Affairs Council. Wang’s Russian counterpart Lavrov also attended.
: Russian FM Lavrov says in an interview with RT that NATO’s next ‘line of defense’ will be moved to the South China Sea.
: In a speech to George Washington University, US Secretary of State Blinken calls China most serious long-term threat to world order while Russia “poses a clear and present threat.”
: Russia and China veto a UNSC resolution on the DPRK (North Korea) for its recent missile tests.
: Chinese envoy to the WHO Yang Zhilun votes against a US-backed proposal condemning Russia for creating a health emergency in Ukraine. The resolution was approved by a majority.
: Two Russian Tu-95MS and two Chinese H-6K strategic bombers conduct annual joint aerial patrol over the waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. President Biden was in Japan for the 2nd day of his official visit.
: President Biden compares Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the possibility of China taking Taiwan by force.
: Russian FM Lavrov states that Russia would focus on developing relations with China and “reliable” countries to reduce its dependence on Western imports.
: BRICS holds its annual foreign ministerial meeting via video. A joint statement is released calling for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. It did not use the term “invasion.” Chinese FM Wang Yi criticizes the West’s “absolute” and “unilateral” security policies, as well as arms supply to Ukraine. He also proposed to explore the potential and procedure for BRICS expansion, including mechanism such as BRICS-plus.
: China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian rejects the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Communiqué issued May 14, which urged China to not support Russia in the war, not undermine sanctions imposed on Russia, and “desist from engaging in information manipulation, disinformation and other means to legitimize Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
: Dai Bing, China’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, supports Russia’s claim in a UNSC meeting that the US conducted covert biological research activities in Ukraine.
: Chinese Ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui praises deepening China-Russia strategic cooperation on energy projects, military technology, and space issues during an interview with TASS.
: Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe visits Turkmenistan.
: Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe visits Kazakhstan.
: Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng meets in Beijing with Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov.
: Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, holds virtual talks with Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko.
: Wang talks to his Vietnamese counterpart. Wang reportedly said that the Ukraine tragedy should not be allowed to be repeated around China.
: Wang talks to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the latter’s request.
: Bucha’s massacre is first reported.
: Xi meets via video with President Charles Michel of the European Council and President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission. They exchange views on the Ukraine conflict.
: Wang chairs the 3rd Foreign Ministers’ meeting among neighboring countries of Afghanistan in Tunxi of China’s Anhui Province. He held talks with Lavrov on the sidelines of the conference. FMs or representatives of Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting.
: 5th round of peace talks for Ukraine end with a written document for a ceasefire. Ukraine reportedly proposes adopting neutral status and a 15-year consultation period on the future of Russian-occupied Crimea as long as a complete ceasefire with Russian forces is agreed.
: Wang visits India.
: Wang visits Afghanistan.
: Wang is invited to address the opening ceremony of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, the first time a Chinese Foreign Minister is invited to such a meeting.
: Wang pays an official visit to Pakistan.
: Xi and Biden talk over the phone about the Ukraine War.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Zhao Lijian says that the Foreign Ministry supports Fan’s statement on March 14, 2022.
: Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong pays a visit to Lviv Governor Maksym Kozytskyi. He expresses support for Ukraine.
: Wang talks to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the latter’s request.
: Putin puts the Russian nuclear force on high alert.
: Wang puts forward a “five-point” stance on the Ukraine conflict.
: Xi speaks with Putin on the phone. Putin briefs Xi on Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
: Lavrov talks over the phone with Wang Yi. They discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine.
: Russian Parliament grants Putin’s request to use the military to back Ukrainian separatists.
: Putin visits China. Before joining the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, he holds a lunch talk with President Xi, and 15 documents are signed. The two heads of state also issue a joint statement on international affairs.
: Lavrov travels to Beijing ahead of Putin’s official visit. He meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. On the same day, the Russian President publishes his article in China’s Xinhua news agency: “Russia and China: A Future-Oriented Strategic Partnership.”
: Xi holds a virtual summit commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan).
: Russia, China, and Iran hold their second joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman. They practice sea-lane protection, anti-pirates, and hostage-rescue operations.
: Lavrov tells a news conference that Russia-China friendship is not against anyone.
: State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi and Russian FM Sergei Lavrov talk over the phone, with Wang telling Lavrov that China and Russia should not allow chaos in central Asia.
: President Xi Jinping sends a message to Kazakh President Askar Katayev that China strongly opposes any effort to sabotage and threaten Kazakhstan’s stability, security, and Sino-Kazakh friendship and cooperation.
: Xi and Putin exchange New Year’s messages.
: Chinese FM Wang Yi pens article in People’s Daily opposing “color revolutions” in central Asia.
: Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko says that countries staging a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics should have their flags and anthems removed while taking part in the spectacle.
: Putin holds talks, via videoconference, with Xi Jinping.
: Vice FM Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy FM Sergei Ryabkov and US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley hold a teleconference on the Iranian nuclear issue.
: Chinese Vice FM Le Yucheng and Russian Deputy FM Morgulov Igor Vladimirovich hold video conference. Both criticized the US-sponsored Democracy Summit.
: Putin discusses China during an investment forum in Russia. Speaking highly of China’s development and Russian-China relations, Putin also strongly criticized US-led alliances and sanctions against China.
: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds the 26th Regular Meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mishustin via videoconference, where they focused on economic and other bilateral issues. A joint statement was issued after the meeting.
: Xi and Putin send congratulatory messages to the 3rd Sino-Russian energy forum.
: Russian, Indian, and Chinese foreign ministers hold their 18th meeting via videoconference. A joint statement was issued after the meeting.
: Putin and Xi send congratulations in the closing of the Sino-Russian Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation.
: Xi sends condolences to Putin after a coal mine explosion in Russia that caused heavy casualties.
: Russian and Chinese ambassadors to the US (Anatoly Antonov and Qin Gang) jointly publish an article in National Interest regarding the US-sponsored democracy summit.
: SCO holds its 20th prime ministerial meeting via videoconference. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang joined the meeting.
: Two Russian Tu-95MC and two Chinese H-6K strategic bombers conduct their third joint air patrol over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea in the Asia-Pacific region.
: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, and US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley exchange views on the Iranian nuclear issue via a videoconference.
: China-Russia Consortium Global Space Weather Center is operational. It monitors space weather events including solar activities and releases advisories for aviation operators, and provides services for aviation operators around the world. This is the fourth such center approved by the UN International Civil Aviation Organization to coordinate platforms in civil aviation. The other three are run by an Australian, Canadian, French, and Japanese consortium; a European consortium; and the United States.
: Envoys of the Troika Plus meeting (Russia, Pakistan, China, and the US) meet in Islamabad, urging the Taliban to cut ties with terrorist groups and deprive them of the opportunity to act on Afghan territory.
: Cheng Guoping, external security commissioner of China’s Foreign Ministry, meets in Beijing with Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov. They have an in-depth exchange on issues such as China-Russia relations and global counter-terrorism cooperation.
: Russia and China sign contract for the joint development of a heavy helicopter, Andrey Boginsky, head of the Russian Helicopters holding, says at a meeting with Putin.
: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu speaks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on the phone about the Iran nuclear issue.
: Lavrov and Wang meet in Rome on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Putin and Xi decline to join the meeting. The two diplomats praised the state of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership and proposed convening a UNSC permanent members’ summit.
: State Duma ratifies a protocol extending, until Dec. 16, 2030, a Russia-China deal on notifying each other of ballistic missile and carrier rocket launches.
: Ten Russian and Chinese warships, which just concluded the Maritime Interaction 2021 naval drill in the Sea of Japan, conduct first-ever joint patrol around the Japanese archipelago.
: At the initiative of India, the SCO holds its first seminar, via video conference, on the role of women in the armed forces.
: Russian and Chinese navies conduct Maritime Interaction 2021 off the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan.
: Putin tells CNBC’s Hadley Gamble that China “does not need to use force” to achieve its desired “reunification” with Taiwan. Regarding the South China Sea, Putin said that “we need to provide an opportunity for all countries in the region, without interference from the non-regional powers, to have a proper conversation based on the fundamental norms of international law…” Putin’s Taiwan remarks were not part of the Kremlin official transcript.
: Russian FM Lavrov says that “Russia, like the overwhelming majority of other countries, considers Taiwan to be part of the People’s Republic of China. We have proceeded and will proceed from this premise in our foreign policy.”
: President Xi sends a message of condolence to President Putin over the crash of a Russian plane.
: Chinese and Russian foreign ministers release a joint statement to the UN calling for the US to abide by a UN convention on biological weapons.
: Putin sends telegram to Xi on the 72nd anniversary of the establishment of the PRC.
: Chinese, Russian and Pakistani special envoys visit Kabul and met the acting head of Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund.
: SCO law enforcement forces hold second stage of “Pabbi Antiterror-2021” Joint Anti-Terrorism Exercise (JATE) in the Pakistani city of Pabbi. The first stage of the drill was conducted by simulated exchanging, sharing, collection, and evaluation of anti-terrorism intelligence within SCO members’ borders. India did not join the exercise.
: SCO conducts “Peace Mission 2021,” a counter-terrorism military exercise, at the training range in the Orenburg Region in Russia’s southern Urals. 5,500 troops, including 550 Chinese servicemen and, for the first time, Belarusian units, participated. Anti-drone warfare was part of the annual drill.
: SCO holds 21st session of its heads of state, via videoconference, in Dushanbe under chairmanship of President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. Chinese FM Wang Yi met Russian counterpart Lavrov on the sidelines of the summit. An informal meeting on Afghanistan was held by Chinese, Russian, Pakistani, and Iranian foreign ministers as well.
: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng meets Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov in Beijing. They discussed Afghanistan and other bilateral and global issues.
: BRICS leaders hold 13th summit via video, with a joint statement issued after the meeting. Russia, Brazil, South Africa and India supported the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. China took over the chair of the 14th BRICS summit in 2022.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov send their statements to the Fort Dong Ning Museum in China’s northeastern Heilongjiang Province to commemorate the last battle of the Soviet Red Army in World War II.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization finance ministers hold fourth meeting via videoconferencing chaired by SCO’s rotating chair Tajikstan.
: Russia and China cast abstention vote in UN regarding the US-sponsored Afghan resolution calling on the Taliban to allow safe passage for those seeking to leave Afghanistan.
: China’s Defense Ministry announces that China will hold its first multinational peacekeeping live exercise, “Shared Destiny-2021,” in central China with roughly 1,000 troops from China, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Thailand joining.
: Xi holds a phone conversation with Putin, having an“ in-depth discussion on the Afghanistan problem … in a traditionally friendly and trust-based atmosphere.”
: Chinese and Tajik internal security forces run the joint “Anti-terror Coordination-2021” in Dushanbe.
: Lavrov initiates a telephone conversation with Wang. They talk about Afghan and COVID issues.
: China and Russia conduct strategic exercise “West·Coordination-2021” in northwestern China.
: Russian, Tajik, and Uzbek forces conduct an exercise in the Kharb-Maidon drilling field in Tajikistan just 12 miles from the Tajik-Afghan border.
: SCO defense ministers hold their annual meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
: FM Wang meets Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Afghanistan’s Taliban.
: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova writes on her webpage that the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse was related to Taiwan.
: Putin sends a message to Xi, expressing deep condolences over the tragic consequences of the extensive flooding in the province of Henan.
: Xi talks with Afghan President Ghani over the telephone.
: Wang meets with Lavrov in Tashkent on the sidelines of the high-level international conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities.” The two top diplomats focused on the Afghan issue.
: SCO holds annual foreign ministerial meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikstan. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are accepted as SCO’s dialogue partners to be finalized by the SCO summit in September. A joint statement in the name of “the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group” was issued, calling for peace and stability in the war-torn South Asian country.
: A suicide attack kills 13 people, including nine Chinese workers who were bussed to the Dasu Hydropower Project in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The bombing was carried out by Islamist militants and backed by the Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies says Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
: Xi sends condolences to Putin after the crash of a Russian commercial airplane.
: President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin hold video conference for 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.
: Russia’s new ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, briefs outgoing Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai on Putin-Biden talks in Geneva on June 16. Antonov tells reporters that “nobody can divide Russia and China.”
: Chinese Embassy in Kabul urges Chinese citizens to leave the country ASAP via commercial flights.
: FM Wang gives a speech via video to reception for 20th anniversary of the SCO.
: Liu Xiaoming, special representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs, meets Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov in Beijing.
: FM Wang Yi talks to Russian counterpart Lavrov over the phone. They discussed bilateral and international issues.
: BRICS foreign ministers hold annual videoconference under India’s chairmanship. COVID and economic development top the agenda, while Afghanistan was the 22nd of 35 items in the “media statement” issued by the ministers.
: Chinese and Russian foreign ministers Lavrov and Wang Yi speak via video to the 6th InternationalConference Russia and China: Cooperation in a New Era.
: SCO holds online meeting of experts to prepare for the first meeting of Security Council Secretaries in Tashkent.
: 16th China-Russia strategic security consultation is held in Moscow and co-chaired by Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, and Yang Jiechi, member of the CPC Politburo. Russian President Putin, in Sochi, talked to Yang over the phone.
: Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang meets Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov in Beijing.
: Russian and Chinese presidents take part, via videoconference, in a ceremony to launch the construction of four nuclear power units at the Tianwan NPP and the Xudapu NPP in China.
: Chinese city Xi’an hosts second C+C5 foreign ministers’ meeting of China and five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They focus on Afghanistan.
: CNSA and Roscosmos hold conference for the international moon station in Nanjing on the sideline of the 58th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
: Russia and China hold 9th ruling party dialogue via video. Xi and Putin send congratulatory letters.
: Biden announces withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. Russia’s Foreign Ministry criticizes the “late withdrawal” for potentially escalating violence, “which in turn might undermine efforts to start direct intra-Afghan negotiations.”
: Biden calls Putin and discusses the Ukraine issue. Biden proposes a summit meeting in the foreseeable future.
: Russia and China hold 7th dialogue on North Pole affairs by video conference, reaching a “broad consensus” regarding various issues.
: Lavrov calls for talks to create a legally binding international instrument to ban the deployment of any type of weapons in space. In 2014, Russia and China jointly submitted a draft treaty to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
: Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticizes politicizing the Beijing Winter Olympics on her Facebook account.
: Putin signs a bill into law enabling him to run for two more terms starting 2024.
: In an interview with Russia’s Channel One, Lavrov says that the relationship with China was not an alliance, stating “our relationship with China is completely different from that of a traditional military alliance. Maybe in a certain sense, it is an even closer bond.”
: Officials of Russian space agency and the CNSA hold a video conference. The discussed issue of jointly building the lunar space station.
: Lavrov travels to China’s southwestern city of Guilin to meet with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The two sign a “Joint Statement by the Foreign Ministers of China and Russia on Certain Aspects of Global Governance in Modern Conditions.”
: A US-China senior dialogue is held in Anchorage, Alaska.
: Moscow hosts regular meeting of the extended Troika on Afghanistan (Russia, China, the US, and Pakistan), including representatives of the Afghan government, Afghanistan’s political activists, the Taliban, Qatar, and Turkey. FM Lavrov delivers welcoming remarks.
: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warns of the “destabilizing” effect of the deployment of US land-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific.
: Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, signs agreement with China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) on the joint creation of the “International Scientific Lunar Station.” The project will be “guided by the principles of equal distribution of rights and responsibilities” and will “promote cooperation … with open access to all interested nations and international partners,” according to Russian sources.
: Russian Ambassador Denisov tells Phoenix TV (Hong Kong) that he will take a high-speed train to Taiwan in the future: “Technologically, China is absolutely capable of building it. Indeed, the two sides of the strait belong to the same land.”
: An article on China’s Defense Ministry’s website says China’s strategic partnership relations with Russia is not an alliance but a new type of relationship of “non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting on the third party.”
: Cheng Guoping, special envoy for external security affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, meets with Russian Ambassador Denisov, in Beijing. The two exchange views on anti-terror and other bilateral issues.
: Russia’s largest independent gas producer, Novatek, signs a long-term contract with a Chinese partner to deliver over 3 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China over 15 years.
: The US carries out airstrikes in eastern Syria against buildings belonging to what the Pentagon said were Iran-backed militias.
: President Biden talks to Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone.
: Chinese FM Wang Yi meets in Beijing with ambassadors of Eurasian states to China. SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov also joins. Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov speaks on behalf of the diplomatic missions in Beijing. He offers heartfelt greetings to Wang Yi on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.
: FMs Wang Yi and Lavrov talk on the phone. They discussed the issue of “non-interference of domestic affairs” and the importance of coordination between the two countries.
: Deputy Chinese Foreign Minister Le Yucheng and Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov meet in Beijing. They discuss issues of “strategic coordination.”
: Biden calls Russian President Vladimir Putin. They discuss a new START treaty. They agree to maintain transparent and consistent communication.
: SCO National Coordinators hold a four-day meeting in Dushanbe of Tajikistan and discuss a wide range of issues regarding Tajikistan’s SCO chairmanship in 2021.
: Taiwan’s de facto ambassador in Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, attends Biden’s inauguration.
: Deputy Chinese Foreign Minister Le Yucheng and Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov meet in Beijing. They exchange views on bilateral relations.
: The US sends an invitation to Russia to attend the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells the media that China’s strategic relations with Russia have “no limit, no forbidden zone and no ceiling to how far this cooperation can go” (中俄战略合作没有止境，没有禁区，没有上限).
: Chinese and Russian presidents and prime ministers send each other New Year greeting messages.
: Russian Ambassador to China Denisov says in a press briefing in Beijing that Putin would like to be the first foreign head of state to visit China when the pandemic is contained in 2021.
: Xi and Putin talk over the phone, during which they recall major developments in bilateral relations over 2020 and look forward to the new year for more cooperation in global, regional, and bilateral affairs.
: Wang and Lavrov discuss bilateral cooperation in foreign affairs and anti-pandemic measures.
: Chinese DM Wei Fenghe and Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu sign a protocol to extend an agreement on mutual notification for launches of ballistic missiles and carrier rockets, upon approval from the heads of the two states. The original document, inked on Oct. 13, 2009, was set to expire on Dec. 16, 2020.
: Russia testfires its offensive strategic forces of land-based missiles, strategic bombers, and submarine-based launchers.
: Three Russian warships of the Pacific Fleet conduct a joint exercise with two Indian naval vessels in the Bay of Bengal.
: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Russian counterpart hold the 25th regular meeting between prime ministers via teleconference, with cooperation in Russia’s Far Eastern region a key issue, and together issue a joint communique.
: SCO holds the 19th annual prime ministerial meeting by videoconference, issuing a joint statement.
: SCO holds its “Regional Cooperation and Exchange Conference” in the Chinese city of Xuzhou. In addition to Chinese business, local and provincial officials, diplomats and trade representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Uzbekistan, as well as international organizations join the meeting.
: India hosts teleconference for the SCO’s annual Business Council for more than 200 participants.
: Wang and Lavrov discuss bilateral, international, and regional issues over the phone.
: Putin and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang join 15th East Asia Summit via video, chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.
: BRICS holds its 12th summit by video, chaired by Putin.
: Russian FM Lavrov says Russia would not pressure China to join arms control talks with the US.
: Putin chairs the SCO annual summit via videoconference. The Moscow Declaration and a news release are issued after the summit.
: Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin says the SVR exchanges information with its Chinese counterpart, adding that the CIA was Russia’s “main opponent.” According to Chinese media, Naryshkin refers to cooperation with China as at “a very high level.”
: Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng invites Russian Ambassador Denisov to China to a Chinese exhibition of the 70th anniversary of China’s Korean War entrance in Beijing.
: Sixteenth meeting of SCO Interbank Consortium Board is chaired by Russia via videoconference, featuring board members and board chairs of leading banks in the SCO member states.
: SCO holds eighth Transport Ministers’ meeting chaired by Russian Minister of Transport Yury Tsvetkov’s via videoconference.
: In his annual press conference at the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin says, for the first time, that China “is moving quickly towards superpower status,” also saying Russia and China enjoy such a good relationship that there is no need to move to a formal alliance.
: Moscow hosts the SCO’s first inter-party forum via teleconference.
: Russia chairs the fifth SCO ministers of agriculture meeting via videoconference.
: Vice Chairman of Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev voices concern over US bio-labs in many parts of the world, particularly in Commonweath of Independent States regions. The next day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian urged the US to offer a comprehensive clarification on its overseas biological activities.
: SEO holds 18th Meeting of Prosecutors General via videoconference, under Uzbekistan’s chairmanship. The next meeting will be in India in 2021.
: Putin sends congratulatory telegraph to Xi for the 71st anniversary of the founding of the PRC.
: Russia conducts its “Caucasus 2020” strategic military drills with five foreign states (Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar, and Pakistan). It involved some 12,900 troops, 250 tanks, and around 450 infantry combat vehicles. China sent more than 200 personnel and light infantry vehicles. India pulled out of the exercises in late August, citing COVID-19 as the reason.
: BRICS nations hold the 10th conference (via video) for national security senior representatives.
: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev chairs the SCO’s 15th Meeting of Security Council Secretaries via videoconference.
: In conjunction with the SCO annual foreign ministerial meeting, Wang and Lavrov take part in formal talks, attend a joint press conference, and issue a joint statement.
: SCO holds its 17th annual foreign ministerial meeting in Moscow. Putin met with the SCO foreign ministers via video a day before.
: Trilateral lunch meeting is held in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, External Affairs Minister of India Jaishankar, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. A joint press release was issued afterward. Earlier in the day, Wang and Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting on the border issue.
: SCO holds its 17th Cultural Ministerial meeting via videoconference, chaired by the Russian minister of culture.
: Defense ministers of the SCO, CIS, and CSTO countries hold a joint meeting in Kubinka, Moscow Region, chaired by Russia. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe held separate meetings with his Indian and Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the group meetings.
: Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov joins a ceremony in Beijing to commemorate Soviet pilots in China during World War II. Chinese and Russian ambassadors to the US Cui Tiankai and Anatoly Antonov jointly pen an op-ed piece on Defense One titled “Honor World War II with a Better, Shared Future.”
: India informs Moscow that it won’t participate in Russia’s “Kavkaz-2020” multinational exercises in southern Russia’s Astrakhan region in early September, shortly before India accuses China of fresh “provocative” military movements at the site of the brawl in June on their contested border. India cites COVID for not attending the exercises.
: Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin send greetings to the opening ceremony of Russian-Chinese Scientific, Technical and Innovative Cooperation 2020-2021.
: Despite the pandemic, Russia poultry exports to China increase seven times over, amounting to 67% of Russia’s poultry exports. The increased export of Russian agricultural and meat products was the result of marked improvement of export infrastructure in Russia as a result of investments from both Russia and China.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov chairs a consultation via videoconference with deputy foreign ministers/special representatives of the BRICS countries for the Middle East and North Africa. They issue a joint statement on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa.
: Chinese media reports that only 46% of Sino-Russian trade in the first quarter was done with US dollars, the lowest in history. 30% of bilateral trade was made with euros and 34% with Chinese yuan (RMB) and Russian rubles. Meanwhile, 15% of Russia’s foreign reserve was in RMB, which constituted a quarter of all RMB in the world held as foreign reserves.
: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticizes US restrictions on the TikTok app for the purpose of dominating the international information space.
: US formally withdrew from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia, claiming it undermines its national security interests. In February, Washington had announced that in six months it would suspend its participation in the treaty unless Moscow destroyed missiles, which the US and its NATO allies allege violate the agreement.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson and head of the FM Information Bureau Hua Chunying holds videoconference with Russian counterpart Maria Zakharova, discussing cooperation in countering disinformation and fake news, particularly amid the pandemic.
: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells a daily briefing that Russia won’t join any alliance against anyone, especially China, as Moscow and Beijing share special relations.
: Wang takes part in a telephone conversation with Lavrov, stressing the importance of prioritizing a Sino-Russian strategic partnership in each other’s foreign policy. Both criticize US unilateralism and exceptionalism.
: Lavrov describes, in the Primako Forum, US-China tensions and US accusations against China as “really alarming,” saying Russia “would not decline” to perform as “a balancing influence” between them.
: Xi calls Putin, congratulating him on the successful constitutional amendments and discussing economic and tech cooperation while containing the pandemic.
: SCO health ministers hold their 3rd session via videoconference.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin speaks by telephone with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu. They discussed cooperation in multilateral forums (UN) regarding Syria, Yemen, and the WHO.
: Putin sends a message to Xi, conveying his condolences over heavy flooding in southern China.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov describes the US idea for an expanded G7 summit without China as “flawed.”
: Russia holds massive military parade in Moscow with more than 13,000 service personnel for the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s capitulation in World War II. The event was rescheduled from its original date, on May 9 because of the COVID pandemic. 105 Chinese military honor guards join the parade together with 13 other countries.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi take part in a regular RIC videoconference. Lavrov proposes a trilateral defense ministerial meeting and China supported the idea.
: Putin proposes a summit of five permanent UNSC members in 2020 in his address to the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem.
: Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov tells Russian media that the charge that China intentionally concealed information about the coronavirus was “groundless.”
: Chinese and Indian forces clash in the remote Galwan Valley in the Himalayas, resulting in at least 20 deaths on the Indian side.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov speaks via telephone with Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Yucheng, discussing cooperation in countering the pandemic and plans to develop bilateral relations.
: Trilateral consultation between the Russian, US, and Chinese special representatives on Afghanistan affairs takes place by telephone. Russian Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and a Pakistani representative also took part.
: Chinese Foreign Minister spokesman Zhao Lijian says that China “respects and understands Russia’s effort to safeguard its national security efforts,” referring to Putin’s endorsement of Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy, which allows Russia to use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional strike against the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov has a telephone conversation with Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui, discussing Russian-Chinese relations and cooperation between Russia’s Eurasian integration project and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
: Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova tells RIA Novosti news agency that President Trump’s suggestion of an expanded G7 session including Russia “is right in principle,” but “could not be a success without China’s participation.”
: President Trump says that he planned to postpone the annual G7 summit until September and that he wanted to invite Russia to rejoin and to discuss the future of China.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says in the CIS foreign minister conference that “the Hong Kong issue is completely one of China’s domestic politics.”
: Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov says in a news briefing that Russia is “carefully studying China’s large-scale measures” for both pandemic control and economic stimulation.
: Russia chairs a four-party videoconference with China, Iran, and Pakistan on Afghanistan.
: Lin Songtian, appointed head of the Chinese Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, meets Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov in Beijing to discuss cooperation in dealing with COVID and the 75th anniversary of Russia’s Great Patriotic War.
: Eight SCO foreign ministers hold videoconference and discuss the coronavirus pandemic. They also discuss an action plan to ensure sanitary, epidemiological safety and biosafety to be discussed in the SCO summit to be held this year in St. Petersburg.
: President Xi Jinping initiates a telephone call with President Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The two heads of state also agreed to resume high-level visits after the pandemic.
: Mishustin is diagnosed with COVID-19 and First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov is appointed interim head of government.
: Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang says Washington must pay special attention to issues that have a direct bearing on the health and well-being of the people in countries where US laboratories are located, referring to a statement by Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on April 17.
: BRICS foreign ministers take part in a video conference chaired by Lavrov. They agree to enhance collaboration to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and to create a special credit mechanism with a total of $15 billion allocated to finance economic recovery projects.
: Lavrov dismisses EU criticism of Russia and China over disinformation, and speaks highly of China’s efforts to contain the virus inside China, as well as its support for Russia and other countries.
: Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maryana Zakharova calls Western accusation that China is the source of the coronavirus pandemic “absolutely inappropriate.”
: China’s ambassador to Russia Zhang tells TASS that a gene sequence in the coronavirus indicated that the virus was imported to China’s Wuhan, instead of emerging there.
: Xi and Putin conduct a telephone conversation focusing on the coronavirus, with Xi promising China’s strong support to Russia and hoping Russia would help Chinese citizens living in Russia.
: Lavrov holds a phone call with Wang, discussing the pandemic and other issues. In his press briefing following the call, Lavrov warns against politicizing the coronavirus issue and says it is “beyond the pale” for the West to demand payment for Chin “spreading the virus.”
: China sends a group of medical exports Russia.
: Chinese embassy in Moscow informs Russian foreign ministry that to prevent the cross-border spread of COVID-19, China is temporarily closing the passenger corridor at the Suifenhe checkpoint effective April 7.
: China sends 26 tons of medical equipment to Russia.
: Russia and China take part in a joint address (with Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Syria) to the UN secretary general urging withdrawal of unilateral sanctions during the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
: Putin tells Russian officials in the Kremlin that Russia has managed to contain the “massive penetration and spread of the infection in Russia,” and that “the situation is generally under control.”
: Foreign ministers of China, France, Russia, UK, and the US issue a joint statement on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons reaffirming their commitment to the NPT “in all its aspects.”
: Russia declares that from February 20 it would “temporarily prohibit” the entrance of Chinese citizens from entering Russia with permits for work, private visit, study, and tourism, and also close its port entrances with China.
: Lavrov and Wang meet on the sidelines of the 56th Munich Security Conference in Germany, where Lavrov promises that Russia would continue to provide humanitarian assistance to China.
: Russian BRICS Chairmanship issues a statement on behalf of other members of the group for supporting China’s effort against the coronavirus pandemic.
: Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations sends 23 tonsof medical supplies to Wuhan.
: Russia sends its first shipment of medical supplies to Wuhan to assist China’s anti-virus effort there.
: Putin receives letters of credence from 23 newly appointed foreign ambassadors in the Kremlin, including Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhuit, and says that Russian relations with China are “at an unprecedentedly high level.”
: Mishustin announces that Russia would provide humanitarian aid to China for combating the COVID-19 outbreak.
: Russian Aerospace Forces are authorized to evacuate Russian citizens from the “most affected” areas of China by the coronavirus.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks by phone with Chinese counterpart Wang, saluting the measures China has taken in fighting the coronavirus.
: Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin issues an order to extend the closing of five port entrances in Russia’s Far East bordering China to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
: Putin sends a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping expressing sympathy and support for coronavirus victims.
: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying expresses support for Putin’s proposal of holding a summit of the UNSC permanent members.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin proposes a summit between leaders of the permanent members of the UNSC (Russia, China, the United States, France, and Britain) in 2020 to discuss global problems.
: Mikhai Mishustin is named Russia’s new prime minister.
: Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang says that the resignation of Medvedev’s Cabinet was “Russia’s internal affair,” and China completely respects the Russian decision.
: Russia and China block UN Security Council statement on the US embassy bombing in Iraq, insisting that any statement by the UNSC on the attack on the embassy in Baghdad should also include the latest developments (including Soleimani’s killing).
: Russian and Chinese presidents and prime ministers exchange New Year greetings.
: China, Russia, and Iran conduct a four-day naval exercise in the northern part of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, the first trilateral exercise between the three armed forces since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. China dispatched the Xining, a guided missile destroyer, to the drills.
: Lavrov tells Russian media that Russia is not going to worsen relations with Beijing to make the United States happy.
: Wang takes part in telephone talks with Lavrov. The two exchange views on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, international situation of common concern and other topics.
: China and Russia jointly propose to the UN Security Council a political resolution for the Korean issue, including lifting a ban on North Korean exporting statues, seafood and textiles; promoting bilateral (US-North Korea) and multilateral (such as six-party) dialogues, etc.
: Beijing hosts a meeting of divisional heads of SCO member state defense ministries for international military cooperation, and the 8th meeting of the Expert Working Group for the SCO Defense Ministers (SCO EWG).
: 12th Sino-Russian Commission of Friendship, Peace and Development is held in Beijing. Vice President Wang Qishan met with members of the commission.
: 15th Sino-Russian consultation on strategic and security issues is held in Shanghai, co-chaired by Yang Jiechi (杨洁篪), director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Communist Party, and Nikolai Patrushev (Никола́й Па́трушев), secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. Chinese President Xi Jinping met Patrushev Dec. 2 in Beijing.
: Xi and Putin conduct video conference while presiding over the opening of the eastern section of the Power of Siberia gas line. The 3,000-km gas line, contracted in 2014, will eventually provide China with 38 billion cbm per year, or 30% of China’s annual gas import.
: Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Mao Zhaoxu (马朝旭) and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov (Сергей Рябков) and Russia hold their first consultation on intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Beijing.
: China, Russia, and South Africa conduct joint naval exercises in Cape Town,. Three Russian ships, two South African ships, and one Chinese ship join the drills.
: Chinese and Russian parliamentarians hold dialogue in Beijing on how to offset foreign interference in domestic affairs.
: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets a delegation of Russia’s United Russia party led by Chairman of the United Russia’s Supreme Council Boris Gryzlov in Beijing. The Russian group visited Beijing for the 7th meeting of the dialogue mechanism between the ruling parties of China and Russia.
: Wang meets Lavrov in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministerial meeting.
: Moscow hosts SCO’s 5th Meeting of Heads of Science and Technology Ministries. First Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Grigory Trubnikov is chair.
: BRICS holds its 11th summit in Brasilia,. Chinese and Russian presidents meet on the sidelines of the summit on Nov. 13.
: SCO Expert Group on International Information Security holds a regular meeting in Moscow. They draft a joint statement for cooperation in international information security to be issued at the 2020 SCO summit in Russia.
: Tashkent hosts the 7th scientific and practical conference of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). Representatives of the UN, CIS, CSTO, OSCE, and CICA join.
: Expert Working Group (EWG) affiliated with the Meeting of Defense Ministers of the SCO holds its 7th meeting in Moscow. The Russian side suggested that SCO defense chiefs be invited to a joint meeting with counterparts of the CIS and the CSTO in June 2020 in Moscow. They also discuss the SCO’s “Peace Mission-2020” to be held in Russia.
: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu joins 9th Beijing Xiangshan Forum (香山论坛), a defense issue conference hosted by the China Association of Military Science (CAMS). Shoigu was the first Russian defense minister to join the forum, together with 600 participants from 76 countries, including 23 defense ministers and 6 chiefs of general staff.
: Russia and China stage “Cooperation-2019” antiterror drills in Russia’s Novosibirsk Region, the 5th joint exercise between law-enforcement units of the two countries since 2007.
: Reception in Beijing for the 70th anniversary of Sino-Russian/Soviet diplomatic relations. Li Zhanshu, member of the standing committee of the CCP Politburo and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Congress, and Russian Ambassador to Beijing Andrey Denisov (Андре́й Дени́сов) join.
: Director-General of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying (华春莹) meets in Beijing at request of visiting Maria Zakharova (Мария Захарова), spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. They exchange views on the international situation, and press and media cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries.
: In his speech to the 16th Valdai Forum in Sochi of Russia, Putin reveals that Russia is helping China with a missile attack early-warning system.
: Chinese and Russian presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers exchange congratulatory telegraph messages for the 70th anniversary of Sino-Russian diplomatic relations.
: The 17th Meeting of the Prosecutors General of the SCO Member States is held in Bishkek. They focus on cooperation against illegal drug trafficking.
: Wang and Lavrov meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
: SCO holds its first meeting of ministers of environmental protection in Moscow.
: The SCO holds its 18th meeting of ministers of foreign trade in Tashkent.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov join a six-nation foreign ministerial meeting on the Iran nuclear issue at UN headquarters in NYC. Participants also include foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany, and UK.
: SCO holds its 7th meeting of heads of territorial authorities for border area emergencies of SCO member states in Chelyabinsk in the South Urals.
: SCO holds its 2nd meeting of railway administration heads in Nur-Sultan, capital of Kazakhstan. The SCO decided to start this new mechanism at its Qingdao summit in June 2018 and held its first meeting Sept. 9, 2018 in Tashkent.
: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization holds a meeting of its Council of National Coordinators in Beijing. They discuss foreign policy coordination for countering greater security, political and economic risks. They also work on the upcoming annual Prime Ministerial Meeting in Tashkent.
: The Russian military conducted the Center-2019 (Центр-2019) military exercise with 130,000 soldiers, 20,000 pieces of equipment, 600 aircraft, and 15 warships. The PLA sent 1,600 troops, 300 pieces of equipment and 30 aircraft, and 750 personnel attended from Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua (胡春华) at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
: The sixth Session of the China-Russian Committee of Strategic Cooperation for Satellite Navigation is held in Kazan, Russia. The two sides agree to implement the cooperation accord between China’s Beidou and Russia’s GlONASS satellite guiding systems.
: Russia and China request the United Nations Security Council to meet to discuss “statements by U.S. officials on their plans to develop and deploy medium-range missiles.”
: New Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui arrives in Moscow.
: Taliban spokesman says that Russia and China would become guarantors of a peace agreement with the United States.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson says that China welcomes Russian concept of collective security in Persian Gulf.
: Tass reports that Russia will deliver a second S-400 surface-to-air missile system to China.
: Two Russian Tu-95Ms and two Chinese H-6K bombers jointly patrol a pre-planned route above the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, “strictly in accordance with international law,” according to a Russian Defense Ministry statement. Both South Korea and Japan scramble military aircraft to ward off the bombers.
: A delegation from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which oversees national cyber policy, meets officials at Russia’s state communications watchdog in Moscow. Russian state telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor says in a statement that it discussed cooperation with the Chinese and had agreed on further meetings in the future.
: In an interview with Argumenty I Fakty daily (Аргументы и факты) in Moscow, Foreign Minister Lavrov says that China poses no threat to Russia.
: Russia and 36 other states support China’s policies in Xinjiang in the UN.
: President Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chairman Xi meet in the Russia-India-China (RIC) format on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka.
: Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) holds its fifth summit in Dushanbe. President Putin and Chairman Xi join the summit and give a speech. CICA issues a joint declaration.
: SCO’s 19th summit is held in Bishkek. Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin attend and join the fifth China-Russia-Mongolian meeting with Mongolian President Battulga on the sidelines.
: Chinese Ground Forces Col. Gen. Han Weiguo visits Russia and meets Chief of Russia’s General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov in Moscow.
: Chinese Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping visits Russia to attend the 23rd Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) and celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
: Russian Global Affairs Council and China’s Academy of Social Sciences jointly hold a conference in Moscow titled “Russia and China: Cooperation in the New Era for the 70th anniversary of Sino-Russian diplomatic ties.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Minister Meeting is held in Bishkek.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits Russia at the invitation of Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. They meet in Sochi and discuss international order, multilateral and bilateral cooperation in economics, security, military, etc. Russian President Putin meets both after their talks.
: SCO defense ministers hold their 16th meeting in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan.
: Chinese and Russian navies conduct Joint Sea 2019 naval exercise in the Yellow Sea.
: Chinese and Russian navies conduct the second stage of their Joint Sea 2019 naval exercise in the Yellow Sea.
: President Putin travels to Beijing for a “working visit” and to attend the second Belt and Road Forum. Putin and Xi meet separately on April 26 focusing on Korea and Venezuela. Putin also receives an honorary degree from China’s top engineering university Qinghua, which is Xi’s alma mater.
: North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un visits Vladivostok for summit with President Putin.
: Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe (魏凤和) travels to Moscow to attend the Eighth Conference on International Security. In a speech, he talks about China’s “new security concept” (新安全观) of “common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security” and praises the China-Russia military-military relationship.
: People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) conducts a large-scale naval parade off the coast of Qingdao marking 70 years since the founding of China’s Navy. It featured 32 Chinese naval vessels and 39 aircraft, as well as warships from 13 foreign countries including Russia, India, Japan, Vietnam, and Australia.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization hold 14th Forum in Beijing with more than 100 experts and diplomats of the SCO and other countries participating. Afghanistan is the main topic of discussion.
: Russian and Chinese militaries hold first round of consultations in Beijing for the third joint missile defense computer simulation to be held in Russia sometimes this year.
: Joint working group meeting is held in Beijing by the Commission for Economic and Humanity Cooperation between China’s Yangzi River region and Russia’s Volga River region. China’s Deputy FM Zhang and Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District Oleg Mashkovtsev (Олег Машковцев) co-chair.
: Special representatives of Russia, China, and the US meet in Washington DC for consultations on Afghanistan. They agree to continue efforts to promote Afghan peace process on the basis of Afghan “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.”
: FM Lavrov, Minister of External Affairs of India Sushma Swaraj and FM Wang Yi hold 16th meeting of the Russia India Trilateral Conference in Wuzhen. A joint communique is issued after the meeting.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Wuzhen, China. They discuss the Indian-Pakistani conflict in Kashmir and a range of bilateral and international issues including Korea, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iran, etc. They also sign a document for the 2019 plan for the consultations by the two foreign ministries in 2019.
: Deputy Chinese Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui joins reception for the “Defender of the Fatherland Day,” formerly known as the Soviet Army and Navy Day, hosted by the Russian embassy to Beijing.
: Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Russian foreign minister meet in Munich on the sidelines of the 55th Munich Security Conference (Feb. 15-17).
: Zhang Hanhui (张汉晖), assistant to the Chinese foreign minister, and Russian Ambassador to Beijing Andrey Denisov participate in a New Year Spring Reception jointly hosted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Russian Embassy in Beijing.
: PM Medvedev visits Chinese Embassy in Moscow for Chinese New Year celebration and meets Ambassador Li Hui. Medvedev’s visit is said to be the first ever time a Russian prime minister visited a foreign embassy in Moscow.
: Russia-China trade in 2018 passes $107 billion for the first time, a 27% increase over 2017. Meanwhile, China’s trade with the US, Japan, and South Korea registered $634 billion, $318 billion, and $313 billion, respectively.
: Chinese President Xi Jinping sends a message of condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the gas explosion in a residential building in Magnitogorsk, Russia. On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also sent condolences to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, conveying deep sorrow for the victims and sincere condolences to their families. 39 people died and dozens wounded in a huge gas explosion on Dec. 31, 2018.
: Chinese and Russian presidents and prime ministers exchange the New Year congratulating messages.
: First Forum of the SCO Heads of Regions is held in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
: Presidents Putin and Xi meet in Buenos Aires on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. They also join an informal trilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and an informal meeting with other BRICS leaders and issue a communique.
: President Putin and Premier Li Keqiang meet in Singapore on sidelines of annual (13th) East Asian Summit. Putin describes ties between the two countries as “privileged strategic partnership.”
: Beijing hosts the 23rd China-Russia Prime Ministers Meeting. Twelve documents are signed covering regional cooperation, agriculture, health, aerospace and trade facilitation.
: China hosts 39th session of military confidence building (MCB) and arms reduction (AR) in the border areas. Representatives from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan join the conference. They approve the joint monitoring plan for 2019.
: SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) holds its sixth conference titled “Combating terrorism: Cooperation without borders” in Tashkent.
: President Xi meets Chief of Staff of the Kremlin Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino (Анто́н Ва́йно) in Beijing. Vaino also meets Director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China Ding Xuexiang.
: Seventh SCO Education Ministers Meeting is held in Astana. Participants discuss how to expand education exchanges of students and faculties, joint research projects, language studies, professional education and youth exchanges.
: President Putin meets Chinese Politburo Member Yang Jiechi in Sochi where Yang attends the 15th annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting.
: The 17th SCO Prime Ministers Meeting in Dushanbe. Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev meet on the sidelines.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov meets Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou in Moscow to discuss the Korean Peninsula.
: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly session in New York.
: China and Russia join a foreign ministerial meeting in New York with their French, British, German, Iranian, and EU counterparts.
: The 16th Meeting of the SCO Prosecutors General is held in Dushanbe. Participants sign protocol of intent to consolidate efforts against extremism and terrorism as well as transnational crimes that serve as a source of funding for terrorism, including illegal drug trafficking and human trafficking.
: First meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) railway administration heads is held in Tashkent. The new mechanism was created at the SCO Qingdao Summit in June 2018.
: The 17th SCO Meeting of Senior Officials in Charge of Trade and Economic Cooperation is held in Dushanbe.
: President Putin meets Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng in Moscow. Han co-chairs with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak (Дмитрий Козак) the 15th Joint Energy Committee meeting.
: Russia hosts fourth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok. President Xi Jinping joins the forum and meets President Vladimir Putin separately. Both join a Russian-Chinese regional leaders’ dialogue on Sept. 12.
: Russia conducts Vostok-2018 military exercises, involving nearly 300,000 soldiers, 1,000 aircraft and 900 tanks and 3,200 troops from the PLA.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov meets Chinese Ambassador Li Hui in Moscow.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov meets Deputy Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou in Moscow. They discuss the Korean Peninsula.
: Gen Li Zuocheng (李作成), chief of the PLA’s General Staff, visits Russia for fifth meeting of the chiefs of general staff for the SCO member states. The chiefs also observe the SCO Peace-mission 2018 exercise.
: Indian city of Cholpon-Ata hosts sixth SCO Ministers of Justice of the Member States meeting.
: China opens Kazan Consulate General, the sixth in Russia (others are in Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, St Petersburg. and Khabarovsk). The Kazan office covers 14 regions of the Volga Federal District.
: SCO conducts Peace-mission 2018 exercise at Russia’s Chebarkul training ground. More than 3,000 troops and 500 pieces of equipment participate, including those from India and Pakistan for the first time. China dispatches more than 700 troops.
: Russian Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov meets in Moscow with Chinese Ambassador Li Hui.
: China’s defense minister reveals that 3,200 Chinese troops, 30 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, and more than 900 pieces of large land equipment will join Russia’s month-long Vostok 2018.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov meets Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting in Singapore.
: The fourth International Army Games 2018 are held in Russia. A total of 207 teams from 33 countries join the games.
: China reportedly receives its first Russian S400 air defense system, becoming the first foreign country to receive the system.
: The 10th BRICS Summit is held in Johannesburg.
: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program in Vienna.
: Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and Russian counterpart Igor Morgulov co-chair the Russian-Chinese Regular Dialogue on Northeast Asia Security.
: Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov meets China’s Special Envoy for the Middle East Gong Xiaosheng on the sidelines of the BRICS consultative meeting on the Middle East and North Africa in Pretoria. They discuss Syria and agree to closely coordinate approaches and practical steps in a national capacity and within BRICS to contribute to the peace, security, and development of the Middle East and North Africa.
: China hosts 18th annual SCO Summit in Qingdao. Heads of state issue the Qingdao Declaration and a “Joint Statement of SCO Member States for Streamlining Trade Procedures.” They approve a five-year plan for implementing the “Treaty on Good-Neighborly Relations, Friendship and Cooperation between the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.”
: President Putin visits China for a state visit and to participate in the SCO Summit.
: Moscow hosts the 22nd session of Joint Russian-Chinese Border Commission.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Pretoria prior to the BRICS foreign ministerial meeting.
: SCO’s first “Model SCO-2018” Youth Conference is held in Beijing.
: SCO’s first Media Summit is held in Beijing.
: Beijing hosts fourth Sino-Russian Think Tank Senior Forum (中俄智库高端论坛) “Russia and China: Cooperation in a new era” co-sponsored by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Russia’s Council of International Affairs. Retired Chinese senior diplomat Dai Bingguo, former Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov join the forum.
: Beijing hosts second meeting of SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group at the level of deputy foreign ministers.
: First SCO Forum of Political Parties is held in Zhenzhen, China.
: President Putin meets Vice President Wang Qishan at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Wang delivered a speech at the forum.
: Second SCO-Afghan Liaison Group meeting (at the deputy foreign ministerial level) is held in Beijing.
: SCO anti-terror meeting is held in Islamabad. India sent a delegation.
: Moscow hosts 16th Trilateral Academic Conference on “RIC: Opportunities and Challenges in the Context of International Changes and Dynamics of Bilateral Relations.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov meets conference participants.
: Thirteenth meeting of SCO National Security Council Secretaries held in Beijing.
: Eighth Meeting of Heads of the SCO Member States’ Counter-Narcotics Agencies is held in Tianjin.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds first Women Forum in Beijing.
: Astana and Almaty (Kazakhstan) host 38th session of the Joint Control Group monitoring implementation of the Agreement between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Russia, Tajikistan and China on Confidence Building in the Military Field in the Border Area (1996) and the Agreement on Mutual Reductions of Armed Forces in the Border Area (1997).
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov meets Chinese Ambassador Li Hui in Moscow.
: Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as Russian president for the fourth time since 2000.
: An “International Conference on Countering Terrorism and Preventing Violent Extremism” is held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
: Fifth Russian-Chinese conference of the Valdai Discussion Club, titled “Russia and China: Contemporary Development Challenges” is held in Shanghai and more than 50 officials and leading experts from Russia and China attend.
: Russian FM Lavrov visits China and meets FM Wang. Lavrov also attends the SCO’s annual foreign ministerial meeting, where President Xi meets SCO foreign ministers.
: China’s Foreign Minister and State Counselor Wang Yi visits Moscow as President Xi’s special envoy. He meets Russian counterpart Lavrov and President Putin.
: Russian-Chinese Commission on the joint verification of two sections of the state border between Russia and China holds its first sessions in Moscow.
: China’s Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe visits Russia and leads the Chinese group for the seventh Moscow International Security Conference.
: President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang send messages of condolence to Russian counterparts for the 64 victims of a fire in a department store in Kemerovo Siberia.
: More than 20 Western countries expel more than 130 Russian diplomats in retaliation against the alleged nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei V. Skripal and his daughter in the UK on March 4.
: President Xi sends a congratulatory message to President-elect Putin. Xi and Putin also talk over the phone.
: President Vladimir Putin sends congratulatory message to Xi Jinping on his election as president of China. Putin notes that Russia-China relations have reached an unprecedented height thanks largely to Xi’s personal push.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov travels to Beijing to co-chair the Russian-Chinese Dialogue on Security in Northeast Asia with China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou. Morgulov also meets Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
: Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Bogdanov meets China’s Special Envoy on the Middle East Gong Xiaosheng on the sidelines of the Rome II Ministerial Meeting to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces. They discuss the Middle East, including the current situation in Syria and Libya, and the prospects for a Palestinian-Israeli settlement.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov receives Ambassador Li to discuss bilateral relations and the current state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula.
: Russian State Aerospace Group (ROSCOSMOS) and China National Space Administration sign an agreement of cooperation in the areas of moon exploration, deep space studies, and the creation of a joint data center for space exploration. The document is signed on the sidelines of the second International Forum of Space Exploration in Tokyo.
: Opening ceremony for the Years of Russian-Chinese Interregional Cooperation (2018 and 2019) is chaired in Harbin by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Plenipotentiary Presidential Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev.
: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov receives Chinese Ambassador Li to discuss the Middle East and Syria.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov meets Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou in Moscow. They exchange opinions on the Korean nuclear issue and Northeast Asia and emphasize “the need to further improve coordination of efforts between Russia and China in order to de-escalate tension and settle the entire range of problems in the region based on mutually promoted peace initiatives.”
: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov meets China’s Ambassador to Russia Li Hui to discuss the Korean Peninsula and agree to coordinate bilateral efforts with a view to reaching a political and diplomatic settlement.
: Presidents Putin and Xi exchange New Year greetings.
: President Putin announces that he will join the March 2018 presidential elections as an independent candidate.
: 21st session of the Joint Russia-China Border Commission is held in Beijing.
: Foreign Ministers Lavrov and Wang meet on the sidelines of the 15th regular Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi.
: China and Russia conduct Aerospace Security-2017, a joint anti-missile computer- simulation exercise, in Beijing.
: Putin inaugurates $27-billion Yamal liquefied natural gas plant in northern Siberia.
: President Putin meets Gen. Zhang Youxia (张又侠), vice chairman of the CCP’s Military Commission and co-chairman of the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission for Military-Technical Cooperation.
: SCO conducts an anti-terror cyber exercise in Xiamen.
: Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) and China’s People’s Armed Police of China conduct special tactical training drills in the Chinese city of Yinchuan (银川).
: Russia delivers the third batch of Su-35 multirole fighter/bombers to China.
: SCO held its 16th session of the heads of government in Sochi.
: Presidents Xi and Putin meet on sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Vietnam.
: President Putin meets Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Moscow.
: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visits China to co-chair the 22nd Prime Ministerial Meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. He also meets President Xi.
: Putin initiates a telephone conversation with Xi to congratulate Xi on his reelection as Chinese Communist Party general secretary at the CCPs 19th National Congress.
: Joint briefing on missile defense is given at UN General Assembly’s First Committee (disarmament and International Security) by Russian and Chinese defense officials.
: Moscow hosts SCO-Afghan Liaison Group meeting at deputy foreign minister level.
: Russia and China hold eighth consultation on North East Asian security in Moscow, chaired by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou.
: Ceremony held in Moscow for the 60th anniversary of founding of the Russian-China Friendship Association. Both Presidents Putin and Xi send congratulations to the event.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov meets Ambassador Li Hui in Moscow and discuss “topical international issues of mutual interest.”
: Russia and China officially name their joint project of a long-haul wide-body commercial model CR929, to be developed by the China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Co., Ltd. (CRAIC).
: SCO foreign ministers meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
: China and Russian conduct the second stage of their annual Joint Sea 2017 military exercise in the Sea of Japan, and for the first time, the Okhotsk Sea.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s “Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure” (RATS) holds its 31st meeting in Beijing.
: First meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on the Development of Relations between the Russian Far East and Northeast China is held in Khabarovsk. Vice Premier Wang and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev co-chair the meeting.
: Putin meets Vice Premier Wang in Vladivostok during the Third Eastern Economic Forum.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin co-chair in Volgograd the Joint Commission for Regular Meetings between the Chinese and Russian Heads of Government.
: Ninth BRICS annual summit is held in Xiamen. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Russian President Putin on Sept. 3 on the sidelines of the summit.
: Chinese and Russian armed forces hold the third joint press release on the global and regional anti-missile situation during the Moscow Conference on International Security. The previous two joint briefings were held at the 7th Xiangshan Forum in Beijing in October 2016 and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva in March 2017.
: Director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China Li Zhanshu visits Russia at the invitation of Presidential Administration Chief Anton Vaino.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov meets Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of SCO Foreign Ministers in Astana.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization holds annual foreign minister meeting in Astana. They submit draft decisions to admit India and Pakistan as full members of the SCO, which will become official at the upcoming SCO summit in June.
: Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress visit Russia for the third meeting of the Sino-Russian Parliamentarian Cooperation Committee. He meets President Putin on April 19.
: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Lavrov hold a phone conversation on the Korean Peninsula and Syria.
: China’s Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli visits Moscow and co-chairs with Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov the fourth bilateral Investment Cooperation Commission and to prepare for the forthcoming summit in May. President Putin meets Zhang.
: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Li Huilai co-chair a meeting of the joint interagency working group on the convergence of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB).
: Third consultative meeting of BRICS special representatives on the Middle East is held in Visakhapatnam, India. Participants issue a communiqué confirming “firm support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, the need for a peaceful resolution of the conflict by the Syrians themselves,” and that “any military intervention not sanctioned by the Security Council is incompatible with the UN Charter and is unacceptable.”
: US naval destroyers, the USS Porter and the USS Ross, launch 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the eastern Mediterranean at Syria’s Shayrat Air Base. President Trump informs visiting President Xi Jinping of the action toward the end of the official dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate shortly before the missiles fall on their targets.
: Russia and China submit to the UN Security Council a draft resolution aimed at preventing poisonous substances from falling into the hands of terrorists in Syria and Iraq. Russia initiated the move in light of media reports of chemical attacks in the Mosul area in Iraq by militants of the Islamic State terror group.
: Russia’s Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and China’s Public Minister Guo Shengkun sign in Beijing a Protocol on Law Enforcement Cooperation for 2017-2018. After the meeting in Beijing, Kolokoltsev visits the tourist police office in Sanya.
: Sixth session of the inter-party dialogue between the United Russia political party and the Chinese Communist Party is held in Kazan, Russia. Chinese delegation is led by Song Tao, head of the International Liaison Department, and the Russian side represented by Boris Gryzlov, Chairman of the United Russia Supreme Council.
: China’s Assistant Foreign Minister of China Kong Xuanyou and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov co-chair in Beijing the Russia-China Dialogue on Security in Northeast Asia.
: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov and China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai co-chair second round of Russian-Chinese consultations on the fight against terrorism in Moscow.
: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet in Bonn on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting. They discuss Putin’s visit to China’s One Belt, One Road international forum and Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia in July.
: Russia hosts a six-party consultation on the Afghan issue in Moscow involving Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Iran, and India. Participants agree to step up efforts to promote the intra-Afghan peace process and that Central Asian countries may join the next round of negotiations.
: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and China’s Foreign Minister’s Assistant Li Huilai meet in Moscow and discuss issues regarding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
: President Xi Jinping meets Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Xi reportedly says that China is willing to play a constructive role in seeking a political resolution to the crisis over Ukraine.
: Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Middle East and North Africa Department Sergey Vershinin meets Chinese Government’s Special Envoy for Syria Xie Xiaoyan in Moscow. They discuss current military and political situation in Syria.
: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou co-chair sixth China-Russia consultation on the security situation in Northeast Asia in Moscow. They agree on further countermeasures in response to the proposed deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea.
: President Xi and President Putin exchange congratulatory messages on the coming New Year.
: Russia, China, and Pakistan meet in Moscow to discuss Afghanistan.
: President Xi sends condolences to President Putin on behalf of the Chinese government and people for the airplane crash near Sochi that killed all 84 passengers on board, including 64 artists and singers of Russia’s world-renowned Red Army Choir.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov visits Beijing and meets Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai. They exchange views on bilateral relations, the SCO and other topics.
: Group of Chechen law enforcement officials visits China and share their skills in fighting international terrorism and extremism with Chinese partners.
: The 14th SCO Attorney Generals Meeting and the 2016 BRICS Attorney Generals Meeting are held in Sanya, Hainan Province.
: SCO Infantry forces conduct joint training exercise in Korla, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visits China and co-chairs the 21st session of the intergovernmental military-technical cooperation commission together with Vice Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission Air Force Gen. Xu Qiliang.
: China’s first international forum on urban anti-terror strategy, code-named Great Wall-2016, organized by China’s Armed Police is held in Beijing.
: APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is held in Lima, Peru. Presidents Putin and Xi meet on the sideline and agree on reciprocal visits in 2017.
: Premier Li Keqiang visits Moscow and co-chairs with Prime Minister Medvedev the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers Meeting. Li is received by President Putin.
: Adm. Vladimir Korolyov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, visits China and PLA Navy Commander Adm. Wu Shengli. Korolov also visits PLA Navy’s North China Sea Fleet, the Submarine Academy and vessels including the aircraft carrier Liaoning.
: Fifteenth annual SCO Prime Ministerial Meeting is held in Bishkek. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev meet on the sidelines.
: Fifth round of the Russia-China Dialogue on Security in Northeast Asia is held in Beijing, co-chaired by Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov. They urge coordination to ensure strategic stability in Northeast Asia.
: Eighth BRICS Summit held in Goa, India. President Xi and President Putin meet on sidelines for “an in-depth exchange of views” on Korean, Syrian, and Central Asian affairs.
: China and Russia announce at the seventh Xiangshan Forum that the two militaries will hold a joint anti-missile drill in 2017.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov meets China’s Assistant Foreign Minister (rank of Deputy Foreign Minister) Liu Haixing in Moscow. Talks focus on European situation including Brexit and Russian relations with NATO.
: SCO’s border guard and special services conduct joint operation code-named Unity-2016.
: Top security officials from the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) meet in New Delhi, India for the sixth session of BRICS senior representatives on security issues. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi join the meeting.
: SCO member states (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan) hold Peace Mission-2016 joint anti-terror command and staff military exercises in Kyrgyzstan.
: Russia and China hold the 20th meeting of the subcommittee on nuclear issues in Moscow in preparation for the Prime Ministers Meeting.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov exchange views by phone on North Korea’s nuclear test and ceasefire deal in Syria.
: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev visits Beijing and jointly chairs 12th Round of China-Russia Strategic Security Consultation with China’s State Councilor Yang Jiechi. He also participates in the third Russian-Chinese law-enforcement and security cooperation mechanism and meets President Xi.
: Chinese and Russian navies conduct Joint Sea–2016 naval drill in the South China Sea. The last joint drills (2015) were held in the Sea of Japan and the Mediterranean.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Chinese Special Representative for the Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei have a telephone conversation to discuss events in the Korean Peninsula. The sides expressed concerns about the DPRK’s new nuclear test, and call on countries to refrain from steps that could further escalate tensions.
: Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko visits China. She is received by President Xi in Beijing.
: President Xi Jinping meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 11th G20 meeting in Hangzhou, China. Xi tells Putin that the two countries must reinforce their mutual political support, including in “the protection of their sovereignty.”
: BRICS leaders met informally on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou. They agree to boost their strategic partnership to address common economic challenges.
: Russian and Chinese officials hold talks in Moscow related to missile defense and regional security.
: Fourth meeting on Northeast Asia security is held in Moscow, co-chaired by Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov. They voice serious concern over THAAD deployment in South Korea.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related events in Laos.
: Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov and the Chinese Defense Ministry’s head of international military cooperation, Maj. Gen. Xi Gowei, meet in Moscow to discuss bilateral military and military-technical cooperation.
: Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi visits Ulyanovsk, to co-chair the first meeting of the Sino-Russian Regional Cooperation Council with Mikhail Babich, Russia’s presidential envoy to the Volga Federal District meeting.
: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Ulaanbaatar.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang visits Russia to attend the third China-Russia Exposition and the chairmen’s meeting of the Joint Commission for Regular Meetings between the Chinese and Russian Prime Ministers in Yekaterinburg.
: The Russian National Guard’s Special Forces conduct joint training exercise Cooperation 2016 with China’s People’s Armed Police Force (APF).
: President Putin visits and meets President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders.
: The China-Russia-Mongolia Trilateral Meeting is held on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tashkent.
: SCO Summit is held in Tashkent.
: Military officials from SCO member countries meet to prepare for the Peace Mission 2016 military exercises to be held in Kyrgyzstan in 2016.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and Russian Deputy Prime Minster Dmitry Rogozin meet in Huangshan, China to coordinate President Putin’s visit to China.
: One Chinese and three Russian warships enter the waters “in a contiguous zone” near the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
: SCO defense ministers meet in Astana. They agree to improve security coordinating mechanisms and to develop cooperation and information exchanges to counter military threats in direct vicinity of the borders of the SCO countries.
: Third Sino-Russia Northeast Asia Security Talks are held in Beijing. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov jointly chair the talks.
: Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov and Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Chinese Central Military Council Adm. Sun meet at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
: Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong visits Russia to co-chair the seventh session of the China-Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets.
: Russia and China hold their first joint computer command-headquarters missile defense exercise, Aerospace Security 2016, in Moscow.
: The 18th round of strategic consultation between Chinese and Russian militaries is held in Beijing, co-chaired by Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of Joint Staff Department of China’s Central Military Commission, and Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy, deputy chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers Meetings is held in Tashkent. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines.
: Speaker of the Russian State Duma Sergei Naryshkin leads a group of Russian lawmakers for a visit to China to attend the second meeting of Sino-Russian Parliamentary Cooperation Committee. They meet Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress and President Xi Jinping.
: Fifth International Conference on International Security is held in Moscow. Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu delivers a speech at the conference.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov travels to Beijing to attend the fifth Foreign Ministers Meetings of CICA (Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia). Lavrov meets President Xi Jinping after the CICA meeting on April 28.
: A forum is held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field in Border Areas by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
: The 14th meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China is held in Moscow. For the first time since its inception, Russian and Indian foreign ministers support China’s position on resolving the South China Sea disputes.
: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Chinese State Council member and Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun meet prior to the 11th meeting of the SCO Security Council secretaries in Tashkent.
: The 11th meeting of SCO Security Council secretaries is held in Tashkent. Uzbek President Islam Karimov delivers a speech.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) holds its 18th session in Tashkent.
: Kremlin Administration Head Sergei Ivanov visits China at the invitation of Li Zhanshu, director of the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Ivanov also meets President Xi Jinping and participates in a forum for Russian and Chinese media.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits Russia and meets Foreign Minister Lavrov to discuss the Korean nuclear issue. Wang also meets President Vladimir Putin
: Second China-Russia Northeast Asia Security Consultation is held in Moscow. Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov of Russia co-chaired the consultation.
: Foreign Ministers Wang and Lavrov discuss over the phone strategic bilateral coordination on the passing of a new UN Security Council resolution regarding North Korea.
: Gen. Fang Fenghui, a member of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of Joint Staff Department of the CMC, proposes during his trip to Afghanistan a four-nation anti-terror alliance consisting of China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi has a telephone conversation with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss the North Korean nuclear test and Syria. They describe the bilateral relationship as one of strategic communication, strategic cooperation, and common strategic interests.
: Russian media reports that Russia will start supplying Su-35 fighter jets to China in the fourth quarter of 2016 as part of a contract to deliver 24 jets in three years.
: North Korea conducts its fourth nuclear test.
: President Xi and President Putin exchange New Year greetings.
: The 20th Sino-Russian prime ministerial meeting is held in Beijing.
: SCO’s 14th Prime Ministers Meeting is held in Zhengzhou, China.
: SCO military officers meeting on security cooperation is held in Sanya, Hainan Island. They discuss defense cooperation and forthcoming joint military drills for 2016.
: President Putin and President Xi meet after attending the plenary meeting of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. The talks focused on anti-terrorism and global issues.
: Both Russian and Chinese media report that a $2 billion contract for 24 multi-role Su-35 fighter jets was signed following a closed-door meeting attended by representatives in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. China’s Defense Department confirms the report a week later.
: Director General of the Department of Arms Control of the Foreign Ministry Wang Qun and Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Foreign Ministry Mikhail Ulyanov co-chair a new round of consultations on arms control and nonproliferation in Moscow.
: BRICS leaders meet in Turkey on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit.
: The 20th meeting of the Russian-Chinese Mixed Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technological Cooperation is held in Moscow, chaired by Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu and Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Xu Qiliang.
: Eighth session of the heads of the SCO member countries’ emergency situations services is held in Chengdu, China.
: Top administrative officials of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meet in Moscow to discuss the response to new threats and challenges.
: SCO holds its first anti-online terror drill in Xiamen, China.
: Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets co-chair the 16th session of the China-Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation in Xi’an, China’s Shaanxi Province.
: President Putin sends congratulatory message to President Xi on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the UNGA session to discuss Syria, terrorism, Korea, and information security.
: BRICS foreign ministers meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
: Russian and Chinese military doctors conduct a large-scale drill in Khabarovsk Kray. The scenario is earthquake relief for 5,000 earthquake victims.
: SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) meets in Tashkent to discuss the Islamic State threat to the SCO members and an action plan for experts from SCO member states’ border guard services for 2016.
: The SCO held its CentrAsia – Antiterror-2015 antiterrorism exercise in Bishkek.
: Premier Li talks by phone to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to discuss the upcoming regular prime ministerial meeting and the SCO prime ministers meeting.
: China’s Deputy Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Xiao Qian travels to Moscow for a “working visit,” and is received by Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.
: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev on the sidelines of the Summer Davos forum in Dalian, China.
: President Putin meets Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang on the sidelines of the East Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok.
: Tenth meeting of heads of supreme courts of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states is held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu meets Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission Fan Changlong in Beijing. Shoygu is quoted as saying that Russian-Chinese military cooperation had a stabilizing effect on the international situation.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin conducts a state visit to China, where he also joins China’s celebration to mark the end of World War II on Sept. 3.
: Chinese and Russian navies carry out Joint Sea-2015 (II) exercise in the Peter the Great Gulf, waters off the Clerk Cape, and the Sea of Japan. The two navies practice, for the first time in history, an amphibious landing with a total of 400 marines.
: President Putin sends condolences to Xi Jinping over the deadly explosions at an industrial complex in the city of Tianjin.
: State Councilor Yang Jiechi meets Mikhail Babich, plenipotentiary envoy of the Russian president, in Chengdu and co-chairs the fourth Local Leader Symposium of the Upper and Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River in China and the Federal District Along the Volga River Bank in Russia.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi meet in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
: The 15th SCO Summit and seventh BRICS Summit are held in Ufa, Russia. Two trilateral meetings are held on July 9 on the sidelines: an informal meeting of the SCO, BRICS and Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the second trilateral meeting between the heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia. Putin and Xi also meet ahead of the summits.
: Vice Premier Wang Yang participates in the sixth International Industrial Trade Fair held in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Wang is received by Prime Minister Medvedev.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov meets Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
: SCO holds its annual Defense Ministerial Meeting in St. Petersburg. Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan participates and meets Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on the sidelines.
: Representatives of 57 countries sign in Beijing the agreement that outlines the framework and management structure for the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The US and Japan decide not to join the AIIB.
: A forum for Chinese and Russian media opens in St. Petersburg, aiming to promote bilateral and international communication.
: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev meets Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party Meng Jianzhu for consultations over cooperation in the field of information security and law and order.
: A Russian military procuratorial delegation led by the first deputy chief military prosecutor of the Russian Federation arrives in Beijing for its official visit to China. Du Jincai, PLA’s deputy director of the General Political Department (GPD), meets the Russian group.
: Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli visits St. Petersburg to attend the 19th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). He and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov co-chair the second meeting of the China-Russia Investment Cooperation Committee. President Putin meets Zhang on the sidelines of the forum.
: Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), travels to Moscow to participate in the first BRICS parliamentarian forum and the first session of the cooperation committee of the two countries’ legislative bodies.
: SCO Interior Ministerial Meeting is held in Moscow to coordinate activities in fighting transnational crimes. China’s Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun, SCO Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev, and the interior ministers of the other SCO member countries attend.
: BRICS countries hold their first parliamentarian forum in Moscow. A plenary meeting of the forum consists of two sessions co-chaired by State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin and Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko.
: SCO foreign ministers and high representatives from SCO member states, observer states, and dialogue partners attend “High-Level Conference on Security and Stability in the SCO Region.”
: SCO holds its annual Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Moscow to set agenda for upcoming session of the SCO Heads of State Council. President Putin meets SCO foreign ministers prior to the annual meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi meet on the sideline of the ministerial meeting.
: Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation Anatoliy Antonov meets Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the PLA General Staff, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
: India, Russia, and China hold the second round of consultations on the Afghan issue in New Delhi. India’s Deputy National Security Advisor Arvind Gupta, Assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao, and Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Yevgeny Lukyanov join the meeting.
: SCO’s Regional Antiterrorism Structure (RATS) signs a statement of intent in Kabul with the Afghan Foreign Ministry for cooperation against international terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Central Asia, collaboration between law enforcement authorities of Afghanistan and the SCO RATS, and the parameters and of their relations.
: Russia and China hold 11th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation in Moscow co-chaired by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi.
: President Putin’s special representative on the Middle East and African countries and Deputy Foreign Minister M.L. Bogdanov, and Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Ming hold consultations on Middle Eastern and African issues in Moscow. According to Russian sources, the principled positions of Moscow and Beijing “matched or were close.”
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) transport ministers hold their seventh meeting in Ufa, Russia. They approve a protocol on the formation of an integrated transportation system in the SCO and discuss the potential of the Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur railroads. Prime Minister Medvedev attends the meeting and gives a speech.
: China and Russia hold Joint Sea-2015 (I) exercise in the Mediterranean Sea.
: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu meets Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, during Fang’s visit to Moscow. Fan and his party visit the newly established National Defense Management Center of the Russian Armed Forces.
: President Xi Jinping visits Moscow for the 70th anniversary of Russia’s Victory Day military parade on May 9. He and President Vladimir Putin meet prior to the parade. Xi meets Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev after the parade.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and Russian Deputy Prime Minster Dmitry Rogozin co-chair the Joint Commission for the Regular Prime Ministers Meetings of China and Russia in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
: China and Russia hold their first consultation on Northeast Asia security in Shanghai. Assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov co-chair the meeting.
: Special Forces from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan conduct an exercise in Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan. The 150 participants focus on techniques for jointly encircling and destroying illegal armed groups in the conditions of mountain terrain.
: Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Russian counterpart Arkady Dvorkovich meet in Beijing to discuss energy cooperation.
: China’s Defense Minister Chang Wanquan attends the fourth Moscow Conference on International Security and meets Defense Minister Gen. Sergey Shoygu.
: Foreign Minister Want Yi visits Moscow and meets Foreign Minister Lavrov. They discuss the upcoming visit of President Xi for the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Wang is also received by President Putin.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi meet in Lausanne, Switzerland while attending the meeting between foreign ministers of the six nations and Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue. They discuss Iranian nuclear negotiations, the Middle East, and bilateral relations.
: Russia joins the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
: Wang Qishan, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, meets Oleg Plokhoi, head of the anti-corruption department of Russia’s Presidential Executive Office in Beijing.
: Deputy Chief of General Staff Qi Jianguo meets visiting Lt. Gen. Khalil Arslanov, deputy chief of general staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Beijing.
: Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei meets Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov in Beijing. They discuss the Korean Peninsula and emphasize the need to resume the Six-Party Talks.
: President Vladimir Putin receives in the Kremlin Director of the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Li Zhanshu.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Foreign Minister Lavrov at UN headquarters in New York City. They stress the importance of commemorating World War II to safeguard the “fruits of victory” of the war and for maintaining international peace and security.
: First session of the Russian-Chinese Inter-state Committee for Space Navigation is held in Beijing, co-chaired by Igor Komarov, director of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Chinese counterpart Sun Laiyan, administrator of the China National Space Administration.
: State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun meets visiting Russian Federal Security Service chief Alexander Bortnikov in Beijing.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Indian External Affairs Secretary Sushma Swaraj and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet in Beijing for the 13th Russian-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministerial Meeting. A joint communique is issued after the 90-minute meeting. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Swaraj and Lavrov separately.
: Chinese and Russian presidents exchange New Year’s greetings.
: The 13th SCO Prime Ministerial Meeting is held in Astana. Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev meet on the sidelines.
: Foreign Minister Wang Yi sends a letter of condolence to Russian counterpart Lavrov over the terrorist attack in the Chechnya Republic, which killed at least 17 people.
: Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoliy Antonov and PLA’s Deputy Chief of the General Staff Wang Ning meet on the sidelines of the first session of the South and Southeast Asian (SASEAN) Defense Chiefs’ Dialogue in Colombo, Sri-Lanka.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi meet in Vienna on the sidelines of the Iran nuclear negotiations.
: Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu visits China and co-chairs a session of the Russia-China Intergovernmental Committee on Military-Technical Cooperation with Chinese counterpart Col. Gen. Chang Wanquan. The two militaries agree to hold a joint naval exercise in the Mediterranean Sea in the spring of 2015.
: Leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) meet on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Brisbane.
: President Putin visits China for a state visit and to attend the APEC meeting.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov meets Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing. They discussed world and regional affairs, as well as the Korean Peninsula and Iran nuclear issues.
: Deputy Chief of the PLA General Staff Wang Guanzhong visits Russia and Belarus. On Nov. 5, Wang and Russian Deputy Chief of the General Staff Kartapolov co-chair the 17th round of strategic consultations in Moscow.
: China hosts the fourth Foreign Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan in Beijing. The Istanbul Process was launched in November 2011 by China, Russia, Afghanistan and Central Asian countries and now has 14 members and 28 supporting parties including the US, UK, UN, and SCO.
: Russian and Chinese border defense units from China’s Huichun area and Russia’s Khasan area conduct Border Defense Cooperation-2014 joint exercise against cross-border criminal and terrorist activities. They practice operations such as early warning, ambush laying, area sealing and control, catching terrorists.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov meets China’s North Korea envoy Wu Dawei in Beijing to discuss the situation in Northeast Asia. Morgulov also meets Deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Gouping to discuss SCO related issues.
: Russian and Chinese police hold an anti-terror and riot-control drill, code-named Lijian-2014 (Sharp Sword-2014) in Manzhouli City, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It involves hostage rescues and physical competitions between the two police units.
: A 100-member Russian youth delegation led by Sergey Pospelov, head of Federal Agency for Youth Affairs of Russian Federation, visits China. The group is part of the Year of Youth Exchange between China and Russia in 2014-15.
: Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang visits Moscow, his first visit as Chinese premier. On Oct. 13, Li and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev co-chair the 19th regular meeting between the Russian and Chinese prime ministers.
: President Putin sends a telegram to President Xi on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China.
: President Xi meets a delegation from the Russian Communist Party headed by the party leader Gennady Zyuganov in Beijing.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York City on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly meeting.
: Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, the upper chamber of Parliament, visits China at the invitation of China’s top legislator Zhang Dejiang. They co-chair the 8th meeting of the Sino-Russian legislative committee and sign a document on deepening legislative cooperation between the two countries.
: Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong visits Russia and co-chairs, with Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, the 15th session of the China-Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation in Moscow.
: President Xi Jinping and President Putin meet in Dushanbe ahead of the 14th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit. Later, they meet Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj to discuss economic cooperation among the three neighbors.
: The 14th SCO Summit is held in Dushanbe.
: President Putin and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli witnessed the welding of the first roll of pipes on the Russian part of the China-Russia East Route natural gas pipeline in Yakutsk. Prior to this, Zhang co-chaired the 11th meeting of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee in Moscow with Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.
: Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli visits Russia to co-chair in Moscow the 11th Meeting of China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. He then flies to Siberia to view the welding of the first roll of tubes on the east route of China-Russia natural gas pipeline.
: Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov visits Beijing to meet Chinese counterpart Col. Gen. Fang Fenghui and Central Military Commission Vice-Chairman Fan Changlong. Gerasimov also attends the SCO Meeting of General Staff Chiefs.
: SCO stages its Peace Mission-2014 anti-terrorist military drill in China’s Zhurihe training base in Inner Mongolia.
: President Xi Jinping visits Mongolia and voices support for Mongolia’s proposal to hold a trilateral summit with Russia to further strengthen consultation and cooperation among the three neighbors.
: Annual SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting is held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. They call for an open, fair, and independent investigation into the MH17 downing incident. They also discuss other issues of common concern including UN’s role, Iran nuclear issue, WWII anniversary, etc., and approve the draft guidelines for granting SCO member status.
: Three Chinese Su-30 fighter jets participate in Russia’s “Aviation Dart- 2014” international aviators’ race in the Russian cities of Lipetsk and Voronezh. Pilots from various countries compete over flying abilities and air-to-surface combat skills.
: Presidents Putin and Xi meet on the sidelines of the sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil.
: First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Ivan Melnikov (Communist Party) leads a group of parliamentarians on a visit to China.
: Russian Presidential Administration Chief Sergei Ivanov visits China.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds its third meeting of the heads of the border services in Qayroqqum, Tajikistan. They discuss a draft plan of joint measures in anticipation of the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force from Afghanistan, and evaluate the status of the joint border operation Vostok-2014 by the border services of the SCO member states.
: Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi visits Moscow and meets Chairperson of the Russian Federation Council Matviyenko. They discuss issues related to the joint development of Russia’s Volga River region and China’s Yangtze River valley.
: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev travels to Beijing for the first meeting of a cooperative mechanism on security and law enforcement with Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party, and co-chairs the 10th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation with Yang Jie
: President Putin meets Vice President Li Yuanchao on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
: Russia and China veto a draft resolution to refer the Syrian civil war to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This is the fourth time Russia and China use the right to veto draft resolutions against Syria.
: President Vladimir Putin visits China at the invitation of Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. They meet in Shanghai prior to the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
: China and Russia hold the Joint Sea-2014 naval exercise in the northern part of the East China.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and Russian Deputy Prime Minster Dmitry Rogozin chair the Regular Prime Ministers Meetings of China and Russia in Beijing.
: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks by telephone to Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. They discuss President Putin’s upcoming China visit and the Syria issue. They are ready to “closely coordinate their actions in the United Nations Security Council.”
: Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov visits Beijing and meets Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli. They focus on bilateral investment and practical cooperation in the financial area.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang visits Russia for the chairmen meeting of the Joint Commission for the Regular Meetings of Chinese and Russian Prime Ministers. The meeting is also to prepare for Putin’s visit to China in May.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov makes a working visit to Beijing and is received by President Xi.
: Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Deputy Premier Arkadiy Dvorkovich meet in Beijing to co-chair the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee. Dvorkovich meets State Councilor Yang Jiechi the following day.
: Russian business channel RBK TV reports that President Putin has agreed in principle to sell China two to four S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.
: Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan visits Tajikistan to attend the SCO Defense Ministers Meeting on April 1. Chang meets Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu who thanks China for supporting Russia regarding Crimea. Shoygu also expresses support for China’s proposal to set up a new anti-terror center within the SCO.
: SCO Regional Antiterrorism Structure (RATS) Council holds its 24th meeting in Tashkent. The theme is consideration of regional security in the SCO area after the partial pullout of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan.
: The “Chinese-Russian Youth Friendly Exchange Year” is launched in St Petersburg. Presidents Xi and Putin send special congratulatory messages.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds a second expert panel consultation on antiterrorism in Beijing.
: President Xi meets Foreign Minister Lavrov on the margins of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague. They exchange opinions about the situation around Ukraine and the upcoming Russia-China contacts on the summit and high levels.
: The five foreign ministers of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa meet on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit at The Hague.
: In his speech to both the houses of the Russian Parliament and the Federal Assembly regarding the Crimea referendum to unite with Russia on March 16, President Putin praises China’s stance during the Ukraine crisis.
: Russia vetoes a draft UN resolution criticizing the secession referendum in Ukraine’s Crimea region; China abstains from the vote.
: President Putin signs a law ratifying the agreement between Russia and China, easing travel regulations. It allows visa-free travel for holders of business passports for up to 30 days, in addition to existing visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic passports.
: President Putin initiates phone conversation with Xi Jinping to discuss Ukraine.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has a telephone conversation with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to exchange opinions on the situation in Ukraine. A press release by the Russian foreign minister notes that “the foreign ministers “broadly agree” on the Ukraine situation” and agree to continue to stay in close contact on the issue.
: China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping and Russian Deputy Foreign Grigory Karasin, who is responsible for bilateral relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), hold consultations on the affairs of the CIS in Moscow.
: President Xi Jinping joins the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. On Feb. 6, Xi and President Vladimir Putin meet in Sochi.
: President Xi and Czech President Milos Zeman meet in Sochi for 45 minutes. They agree to launch the Warsaw Initiative in Prague in late 2014, following the first and the second such forums in Warsaw and Bucharest in April 2012 and November 2013, respectively. The forum is a meeting for economic cooperation and includes China and prime ministers of 16 central and eastern European countries.
: Russian nuclear-powered missile cruiser Petr Velikiy and Chinese frigate Yancheng drill together in the Mediterranean Sea after escorting the first consignment of Syrian chemical weapons from the Port of Latakia to the Italian coast. The ships practice air defense, helicopter deck exchange (landing on each other’s deck), and joint command. This is the first time the Chinese Navy has held an exercise in the Mediterranean.
: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, exchange New Year greetings.
: President Xi extends condolences to President Putin over two terror attacks in Russia’s southern city of Volgograd. Premier Li also sends a message to Prime Minister Medvedev over the deadly attacks. Foreign Minister Wang and Russian counterpart Lavrov have a phone conversation to exchange views on the serial blasts in Volgograd and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.
: Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev visits Beijing. He is received by Chinese security chief Meng Jianzhu (secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee) and Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun.
: Foreign Ministers Lavrov and Wang hold a telephone conversation on the initiative of the Chinese side to discuss Syria.
: The SCO holds its 12th Prime Ministers Meeting in Tashkent. Participants include the SCO Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev, Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Antiterrorist Structure Zhang Xinfeng, board chairmen of the Business Council, the Council of the SCO Interbank Association, representatives of observer nations (Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan), and representatives of partner organizations (UN, ASEAN, and CIS). Premier Li meets Russian counterpart Medvedev on the sidelines.
: “Tourism Year of China” in Russia ends with a ceremony in St Petersburg. Vice Premier Wang Yang and Russian counterpart Olga Golodets preside over the event.
: Pakistan, China, Russia hold second round of Trilateral Dialogue (at the ambassador level) on Afghanistan in Islamabad. The next round of Trilateral Dialogue will be held in Moscow in the first half of 2014. The first session took place in Beijing in April 2013.
: The 12th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) is held in India (Nov. 10). External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Foreign Minister Wang and Foreign Minister Lavrov attend. The three are also among the 48 foreign ministers travelling to India for the ASEM (Asia-Europe) Foreign Ministers on Nov. 11-12.
: Chinese and Russian militaries hold their 16th strategic consultation in Beijing. Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, PLA’s deputy chief of general staff, and Russian counterpart Gen. Vladimir Zarudnitskiy co-chair the consultation.
: At the invitation of Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) visits Russia. Xu is accompanied by Zhang Youxia, director of the General Armaments Department (GAD), Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of general staff, Li Andong, director of the Science and Technology Commission under the GAD and deputy director of the GAD Liu Yi, deputy commander of the PLA Navy, and Zhang Honghe, deputy commander of the PLA Air Force.
: Russian and Chinese diplomats at the bureau level meet in Beijing to discuss interstate relations in Central Asia and post-ISAF Afghanistan.
: SCO holds a one-day anti-terror and anti-extremism conference in Tashkent Participants include representatives of anti-terrorism bodies of member-states and observer states. It is the first-ever such meeting, which is held by initiative of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS). The delegates decide to meet on a regular basis.
: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visits China to attend the bilateral Prime Ministers Meeting, which was launched in 1996. Twenty-one agreements are signed. Medvedev also meets President Xi. Medvedev also visits University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, Anhui Province.
: President Xi and President Putin met on the sideline of the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Bali.
: President Putin sends a congratulatory message to President Xi on the occasion of People’s Republic of China’s 64th anniversary.
: Foreign Ministers Wang and Lavrov meet twice at the UN. They agree that scenarios involving use of force against Syria are “unacceptable.”
: Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress Zhang Dejiang visits Russia at the invitation of Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, and Sergei Naryshkin, chairman of the State Duma. Zhang and Matviyenko attend the 7th meeting of the China-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee. He is also received by President Putin. Zhang also visits Russian city Irkutsk.
: Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu tells participants in the Valday international debating club that Russia sees NATO as a threat and China as a partner, according to Foreign and Defense Policy Council Presidium Chairman Fedor Lukyanov, who also attends the meeting.
: Foreign Minister Wang and Russian counterpart Lavrov have a “comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views on the Syria crisis” via phone.
: The 13th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State is held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Regional security, economic development and Syria were the focus of the meeting.
: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi meet on the sidelines of a G20 Summit and discuss Syria and the upcoming SCO summit.
: President Vladimir Putin meets President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a G20 Summit in St. Petersburg shortly before an “informal” meeting of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) leaders.
: Twice in two days, Russian and Chinese representatives walk out of the UN Security Council emergency sessions on Syria.
: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang discuss by phone anti-flood measures for the Amur/Heilongjiang River. Li voices hope that Russia would exploit the advantage of its upstream reservoir to cut the flood peak and scale down the floods and offers help with Russia’s disaster relief efforts to keep the flood damage to a minimum level.
: Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev lead 9th round of China-Russia strategic security consultations in Moscow.
: Kyrgyz and Chinese border guards hold a joint antiterrorism exercise code-named Joint Border Activities 2013 on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border. Representatives from SCO member states (Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) the SCO regional antiterrorist structure and observers (India and Iran) observe the exercise from headquarters in Urumqi.
: Russia and China conduct Peace Mission 2013 joint anti-terror exercise at the Chebarkul training ground in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region. More than 1,500 Russian and Chinese servicemen participate.
: SCO annual Foreign Ministers Meeting is held at Cholpon-At in northeastern Kyrgyzstan. Among the documents signed is the action plan for 2013-2017 to implement a long-term cooperation agreement among the SCO member countries. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets separately with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
: Russia’s Eastern Military District stages a week-long, non-notice combat readiness “inspection.” It is the largest in post-Soviet history.
: Russian and Chinese navies conducted Joint Sea 2013 exercise in the Peter the Great Gulf of the Sea of Japan.
: Col. Gen. Fang Fenghui, PLA chief of General Staff, visits Russia and meets General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
: The SCO Defense Ministers Meeting is held in Bishkek. Ministers agree to strengthen cooperation in crushing separatism, extremism, and drug-trafficking based on their share of responsibilities. China’s Defense Minister Chang Wanquan holds separate talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on the sidelines.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) border service heads meet in Yekaterinburg to discuss plans of joint operations on the Russian-Chinese and Kyrgyz-Chinese stretches of the state borders for 2013. They also discuss the Western coalition’s planned withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014.
: Edward Snowden, former contract employee of the US National Security Agency, leaves Hong Kong on a flight bound for Russia.
: Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli attends the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual gathering of world political and business elites. Zhang is received by President Putin. He also meets First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who co-chairs the China-Russia energy cooperation committee. A $270 billion contract is signed for up to 46 million tons of oil annually to China for 25 years.
: Chinese and Russian special forces conduct a 10-day joint training exercise in Beijing named Cooperation 2013. The exercise involves 46 Chinese and 29 Russians training in shooting, forced entry, hostage rescue, and terrorist camp raids. The last time the two sides conducted a joint anti-terrorism drill was Cooperation 2007, in Russia.
June 15, 2013: President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discuss bilateral ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula in a telephone conversation.
June 15, 2013: President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discuss bilateral ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula in a telephone conversation.
: Chairman of Russian State Duma Sergei Naryshkin visits Beijing to participate in the sixth session of the Russian-Chinese Inter-Parliamentary Commission at the invitation of Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. He meets President Xi Jinping on May 27.
: Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, visits China as part of bilateral religious exchanges. He meets President Xi Jinping and says Russian and Chinese people cherish national independence and sovereignty, as well as value unity, diligence, and justice. Xi praises the Russian Orthodox Church’s consistent support for the development of China-Russian relations and for China’s stance on issues involving its core interests.
: Russian President’s Special Envoy for the Middle East and Deputy Foreign Minister, M.L. Bogdanov, meets Chinese Ambassador Li Hui in Moscow. Bogdanov briefs Li about the Russian-US agreements on the settlement in Syria reached during the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Moscow on May 7. They coordinate their efforts “in the interests of the fastest settlement of the Syrian conflict has been confirmed.”
: SCO Security Council secretaries hold their eighth meeting in Bishkek.
: Turkey officially becomes the SCO’s third dialogue partner after the signing of a memorandum granting the status in Almaty by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and SCO Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev.
: Chinese State Councilor Guo Shengkun visits Moscow and meets Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and other officials.
: President Putin appoints former First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov as Russia’s Ambassador to China. He was first deputy foreign minister since April 2006.
: President Xi talks over the phone with President Putin about the strong earthquake in Sichuan’s Lushan and offers to provide China with all the necessary assistance.
: Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov visits China with a group of Russian businessmen and meets Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli in Beijing.
: Fifth BRICS Summit is held in Durban, South Africa. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin participate in the annual meeting.
: President Xi Jinping visits Russia at the invitation of President Putin. They join a ceremony to open the Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia.
: China’s new Premier Li Keqiang and counterpart Dmitry Medvedev talk over the phone and agree to promote bilateral cooperation. Medvedev congratulates Li on his endorsement as premier. Li invites Medvedev to visit China in the second half of the year for the 18th prime ministerial talks.
: President Putin congratulates Xi Jinping as China’s new president. Putin and Xi also pledged to continue their personal contacts.
: President Xi Jinping meets Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) new General Secretary Dmitry Mezentsev and calls for better development of the organization.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits Moscow and meets counterpart Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin to discuss the pending visit of Xi Jinping and other issues.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi talks by telephone with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov about the North Korean nuclear test and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, attends 21st annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum in Vladivostok by invitation of Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council.
: Third meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) senior representatives on security issues is held in New Delhi. China’s State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Russian Security Council Nicolai Patrushev join the meeting.
: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo hold the eighth round of strategic security consultations in Beijing.
: President Hu Jintao and counterpart Vladimir Putin exchange New Year greetings and wished ties between the two countries make more progress in 2013.
: Prime Minister Medvedev and Premier Wen Jiabao co-chair in Moscow the 17th Regular Prime ministerial Meeting. After the meeting, Wen meets President Putin in Sochi.
: The 11th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Prime Ministers Meeting is held in Bishkek. The meeting will be held in Uzbekistan in 2013.
: Russia’s newly appointed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu pays an official visit to China and attends the 17th session of the Russian-Chinese Joint Government Commission for Military-Technical Cooperation. This was Shoigu’s first trip abroad in his new capacity.
: Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich expresses confidence that the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party would facilitate the strengthening of relations between Beijing and Moscow.
: Prime Minister and United Russia Party leader Dmitry Medvedev congratulates Xi Jinping on his election as secretary general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
: Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets Viktor Bondarev, commander of the Russian Air Force, in Beijing. Bondarev was appointed commander of the Russian Air Force on May 6, 2012.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhai Jun meet in Moscow to exchange and coordinate policies toward the Middle East.
: Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai meets G20 coordinator Ksenia Yudaeva in Moscow. Cui expresses support for Russia’s presidency of the G20 and hosting the G20 Summit in 2013.
: President Putin sends greetings to President Hu Jintao on the People’s Republic of China’s 63rd anniversary.
: Russia urges China and Japan to search for a peaceful solution to their territorial dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department.
: President Hu Jintao meets President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders Meeting to discuss bilateral ties and major issues of common concern.
: The 15th round of strategic consultations between the Chinese and Russian General Staff Headquarters is held in Irkutsk, Russia. PLA Deputy Chief of General Staff Ma Xiaotian and Russian Deputy Chief of General Staff Alexander Postnikov co-chair the consultations, which are described as “frank, friendly and in-depth” over bilateral and global issues of common concern.
: SCO defense experts meet to plan for joint events in 2012-2013 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Representatives from Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan attend the workshop.
: President Putin sends a condolence message to Hu Jintao over Beijing flood casualties that killed 80 people in the strongest flood of the past 50 years in Beijing.
: Russia and China veto a British-sponsored resolution regarding Syria. This is the third time Russia and China have acted together in the UN regarding Syria (two previous UN vetoes were on Oct. 4, 2011 and Feb. 4, 2012).
: Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) states that a Russian Coast Guard vessel (Dzerzhinsky) seized a Chinese fishing boat for poaching within Russia’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan after a three-hour pursuit. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping expresses strong dissatisfaction with the alleged attack on a Chinese fishing vessel.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Li Hui meet in Moscow regarding the situation in Syria on the eve of the international ministerial meeting on Syria.
: The 10th meeting of the Sino-Russian Joint Border Inspection Committee is held in Moscow. Deputy Foreign Minister I. V. Morgulov receives Deng Zhonghua, director of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
: He Guoqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, visits Russia. He meets President Putin after the opening ceremony of the 16th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
: The leaders of BRICS nations (President Putin, President Hu, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and South African President Jacob Zuma) met in Los Cabos, Mexico on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. They agree to boost cooperation within the group of emerging economies.
: SCO member states conduct Peace Mission 2012 at the Chorukh-Dairon range in northern Tajikistan. More than 2,000 soldiers and officers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, and Tajikistan participate. Uzbekistan declines to join the drill.
: The 2nd meeting of SCO chiefs of general staff is held in Khujand in Tajikistan.
: Hu Jintao, in his capacity as general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, congratulates Prime Minister Medvedev on being elected chairman of the ruling United Russia party.
June 5, 2012: Twelve cars carrying over 30 Chinese and Russian journalists left Beijing for Moscow to mark Russia Tourism Year. In 2011, 840,000 Chinese visited Russia and 2.4 million Russians visited China.
June 5-7, 2012: President Putin visits China. He signs 12 agreements and participates in the annual SCO Summit in Beijing.
June 5, 2012: Twelve cars carrying over 30 Chinese and Russian journalists left Beijing for Moscow to mark Russia Tourism Year. In 2011, 840,000 Chinese visited Russia and 2.4 million Russians visited China.
June 5-7, 2012: President Putin visits China. He signs 12 agreements and participates in the annual SCO Summit in Beijing.
: The 11th Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers Meeting is held in Moscow. Among the topics discussed are North Korea’s satellite launch and Iran’s nuclear issues.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visits China and meets Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Vice President Xi Jinping. He also attends the opening ceremony of the Museum of History of Liberation of North East of China by the Soviet Army.
: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao congratulates Dmitry Medvedev on becoming Russia’s prime minister after Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of Parliament, approves him as prime minister in the new government.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao congratulates Vladimir Putin on his inauguration as Russian president and wished for great achievements of the Russian people in developing their country under Putin’s leadership.
: Deputy Prime Minster Dmitry Rogozin visits Beijing and meets Gen. Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and State Councilor Dai Bingguo.
: Vice Premier Li Keqiang visits Russia where he is received by President Medvedev, Prime Minister Putin and Chairman of State Duma Sergei Naryshkin. Li also travels to Kazan and meets local leaders of the Volga Federal District.
: SCO Defense Ministerial Meeting is held in Beijing and chaired by Defense Minister Liang Guanglie. Vice President Xi Jinping meets SCO defense ministers.
: The seventh session of the SCO Forum opens in Almaty as a prelude to the SCO annual summit. Participants include more than 80 delegates and experts from SCO bodies, members, observers, dialogue partners, Afghanistan, and the EurAsian Economic Community.
: A meeting of the chief justices of SCO member states is held in Beijing.
: Russia and China conduct the Maritime Cooperation 2012 joint naval exercise in the Yellow Sea.
: FM Lavrov, FM Yang, and Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna meet in Moscow for the 11th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of China, Russia and India. They call for a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and oppose new sanctions on North Korea.
: Military experts from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and China visit Alabino, Moscow Region. The visit is part of the 26th session of the Joint Control Group consisting of military, technical specialists, and diplomats of the five Asian countries for the implementation of agreements on arms reduction.
: The seventh session of the SCO Security Council secretaries is held in Beijing and hosted by Chinese State Councilor Meng Jianzhu.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister A.I. Denisov and China’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun meet in Shanghai to discuss bilateral relations, SCO, the Middle East, Iran and Korea.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister I.V. Morgulov meets Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping in Beijing to prepare for the annual SCO Summit.
: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao meet in New Delhi before the opening of the annual BRICS Summit and discuss bilateral and international cooperation, particularly the Korean satellite crisis.
: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov visits China for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Sino-Russia Tourism Year in China. Vice Premier Wang Qishan meets Surkov and the two attend the opening ceremony of Sino-Russia Tourism Year and Sino-Russia Tourism Cooperation Forum in Beijing. Surkov also meets Vice President Xi Jinping.
: President Hu Jintao sends a message to Putin to congratulate him on his election as the president of the Russian Federation.
March 6, 2012: President Hu Jintao talks via telephone with President-elect Putin on bilateral ties and major international and regional issues. They reiterate their commitment to strategic cooperation between the two countries.
March 6, 2012: President Hu Jintao talks via telephone with President-elect Putin on bilateral ties and major international and regional issues. They reiterate their commitment to strategic cooperation between the two countries.
: The third round of consultations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization defense officials (except Uzbekistan) is held in Khujand, Tajikistan, to prepare the Peace Mission 2012 anti-terrorist exercises.
: Russia and China vote against a draft resolution of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva condemning crimes in Syria.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov talks by telephone with counterpart Yang Jiechi regarding the situation in Syria.
: Russian Deputy Chief of the General Staff Serlyukov travels to Beijing and meets Chinese counterpart Ma Xiaotian. He is also received by Chen Bingde, member of the Central Military Commission and PLA’s chief of general staff.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talks by telephone with Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi regarding a draft UN Security Council resolution on Syria put forward by a group of Western and Arab states.
: The 2012 Sino-Russia Tourism Year kicks off in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. The initiative is the third of its kind between China and Russia, following Sino-Russia National Year and the Sino-Russia Year of Language held in 2006 and 2009, respectively.
: PLA Deputy Chief Staff Ma Xiaotian meets defense officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, who are in China to attend the SCO’s defense and security forum in Beijing.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi telephones counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss the impact of Kim Jong Il’s death on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
: Vice Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Svetlana Orlova visits Beijing to attend ninth plenary session of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development. She is also received by Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang and vice chairwoman of China’s parliament and chief of the All-China Women’s Federation Chen Zhili.
Dec. 16, 2011: The World Trade Organization gives its final approval for Russia’s membership at a ministerial conference in Geneva.
Dec. 16, 2011: The World Trade Organization gives its final approval for Russia’s membership at a ministerial conference in Geneva.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Borodavkin and China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping meet in Moscow to plan political contacts and to discuss collaboration in regional multilateral structures such as the SCO, East Asian Summit, and ASEAN Regional Forum.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov meets Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun in Moscow at meeting of deputy ministers of foreign affairs of the BRICS countries.
: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov receives Chinese Ambassador Li Hui. They discuss the situation in the Middle East and North Africa.
: PLA’s Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde meets Vladimir Pronichev, chief of Russian Border Guard Service in Beijing.
: China-Russia Joint Border Inspection Committee meets in Moscow and launches their first-ever joint border inspection.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 10th Prime Ministers Meeting is held in St. Petersburg. Premier Wen and Prime Minister Putin join the meeting.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov receives Chinese Ambassador Li Hui in Moscow. Situation in the Mideast is the key subject of the meeting.
: People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde meets Zarudniski, deputy chief of general staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and director of the Operation Department of the General Staff Headquarters in Beijing.
: Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev visits China to participate in the sixth round of strategic security talks with State Councilor Dai Bingguo. He also meets Vice President Xi Jinping.
: China’s Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu meets Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in Beijing.
Nov. 3, 2011: Presidents Hu and Medvedev meet on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Cannes.
Nov. 3, 2011: Presidents Hu and Medvedev meet on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Cannes.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Chinese counterpart Zhai Jun hold political consultations on Middle Eastern and African problems in Beijing. Bogdanov also meets Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Zhijun.
: Prime Minister Putin visits China at the invitation of Premier Wen Jiabao. The two co-chair the 16th Regular Meeting of the Prime Ministers of Russia and China. Putin also meets President Hu Jintao and Wu Bangguo.
: President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin send congratulatory messages to Chinese counterparts for the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. They discuss Syria, Afghanistan, international financial institutions, and Russia’s WTO accession.
: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Regional Anti-Terror Agency Council holds its 19th conference in Beijing, pledging to give top priority to preventing terrorism, separatism and extremism in SCO member states.
: Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Guo Boxiong visits Russia at the invitation of Russian Federal Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov. Guo attends the 16th Sino-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation.
: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, visits Russia and meets Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, President Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov and acting Speaker of the Russian Federation Council Alexander Torshin. Wu and Gryslov chair the fifth meeting of the China-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin meets Chinese Ambassador Li Hui at the latter’s request. They exchange views on “pressing regional issues,” including the Korean nuclear problem.
: Kim Jong Il visits Northeast China following his Russian tour and meets State Councilor Dai Binguo in Heilongjiang province on Aug. 26.
: Deputy Foreign Minister M.L. Bogdanov receives Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui at the latter’s request. They have “a detailed exchange of views” on the situation in Libya, Syria, and the Middle East as a whole.
: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il visits the far eastern region of Russia and meets President Dmitry Medvedev on Aug. 24 in Ulan Ude.
: Gen. Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese military, visits Russia at the invitation of Russian Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Makarov.
: Two Chinese Navy ships make a four-day visit to the port city of Vladivostok. Chinese warships last visited Vladivostok in 2008.
: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi meet briefly in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of the ASEAN events.
: Vice Chairwoman of the Russian State Duma Svetlana Zhurova pays an official visit to China with a delegation of young lawmakers from Duma. They meet Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC).
: President Hu Jintao makes a state visit to Russia.
: The 19th SCO summit is held in Astana, Kazakhstan. Several agreements are signed, including the Astana Declaration.
: Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov meet while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. They conduct “a candid and in-depth exchange of views” on bilateral relations as well as other issues of common concern.
: Vice President Xi Jinping and President Dmitry Medvedev meet in Rome while attending the 150th anniversary of unification of Italy as guests of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
: Seventh round of the Sino-Russian energy negotiators meeting is held in Moscow. Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin preside and attempt to resolve the recent dispute over the pricing for pipeline supply of oil.
: SCO foreign ministers hold their annual meeting in Astana of Kazakhstan to prepare for the SCO Summit.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi meets Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers Council meeting.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits Moscow and meets Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. They discuss the upcoming visit to Russia by President Hu Jintao and express “great concern” regarding Libya situation.
: China, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan conduct a joint antiterrorism drill codenamed Tianshan-II in Kashi (Kashgar), in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region.
: SCO hold its sixth Security Councils Secretaries Meeting in Astana.
: SCO’s interior and public security ministers hold their second meeting in Astana and sign a protocol on measures on further fighting against transborder crime, organized crime, drug trafficking, illegal migration and cyber-crimes.
: SCO military chiefs meet for the first time since the SCO was formed in 2001.
: The annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia is held in Hainan.
: SCO Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS) and CIS’s Anti-Terror Center sponsor a two-day conference in Tashkent to discuss ways to ensure anti-terror security, and to protect vital and sensitive facilities, and military infrastructure.
: BRIC nations hold their third summit with a new acronym (BRICS) as South Africa joins the group. The next summit will be held in India.
: President Medvedev visits China to attend the BRICS Summit on April 14, the Boao Forum for Asia on April 15, and to visit Hong Kong on April 16-17.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov and Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui meet in Moscow. They call for re-launching the Middle East peace process and settling the Libyan crisis through diplomatic methods.
: SCO holds a session on combating drugs smuggling in Astana to discuss the anti-drug strategy for 2011-16 and the “SCO Anti-drug Strategy Implementation Program.”
: Council of the SCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Structure meets in Tashkent.
: SCO defense ministers hold their annual meeting in Astana. They issue the Joint Communiqué of the SCO Member Nations’ Defense Ministers Conference and approve the “Cooperation Program of the SCO Member Nations’ Defense Departments from 2012 to 2013.”
: State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev hold the fifth round of the Russian-Chinese Strategic Security Talks in Moscow. Dai meets Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Jan. 24.
: Russian and Chinese Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Wu Hailong hold consultations in Moscow on Iran, strategic stability, nuclear nonproliferation, arms control, space security, and cooperation within the Brazil, Russia, India, China (BRIC) framework.
: China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov hold a phone conversation regarding Iran’s nuclear issue, the BRIC framework, strategic stability, nuclear nonproliferation, arms control, and space security.
: The 1,000-km-long pipeline (72 kilometers in Russia and 927 km is in China) is officially opened after a two-month trial.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, while visiting Islamabad, speaks by phone with Foreign Minister Lavrov to exchange views and coordinate positions on de-escalating military and political tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
: Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping visits Moscow and meets Deputy Foreign Minister Borodavkin. They pledge further cooperation and coordination while pushing for direct dialogue between the ROK and the DPRK.
: Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev visits China and meets his counterpart Meng Jianzhu, China’s state councilor and public security minister. The two ministries sign a cooperative agreement for 2011 to 2012
: Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin meets Chinese Ambassador Li Hui, at Li’s request. They discuss ways to reduce military and political tension in Northeast Asia.
: Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX) launches ruble-yuan trading.
: Foreign Ministers Lavrov and Yang Jiechi talk over the phone and discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
: SCO holds its ninth Prime Ministers Meeting in Dushanbe. Economic cooperation is the key theme for the annual meeting.
: Premier Wen Jiabao visits Russia for the 15th regular Sino-Russian Prime Ministers meetings in Moscow.
: The 10th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of China, Russia, and India is held in Wuhan, China. Foreign Ministers Yang Jiechi, Sergei Lavrov, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao exchange views on issues, including collaboration in emergency response, agriculture, and public health; the creation of a new security and cooperation architecture in the Asia-Pacific Region; and cooperation of the three countries within regional multilateral organizations.
: A Chinese defense delegation led by PLA Navy Commander Adm. Wu Shengli visits Russia and meets Navy Chief Commander Adm. Vladimir Vystotsky. They discuss prospects for collaboration in ensuring security in the world’s oceans. The delegation also visits the N.G.Kuznetsov Naval Academy and the facilities of Russia’s North Fleet in St Petersburg, including the Adm. Kuznetsov cruiser and a nuclear-powered submarine.
: Presidents Hu and Medvedev meet in Seoul on the sidelines of the G20 Summit to discuss bilateral issues and exchange views on global and regional issues of common concern.
: Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov visits Beijing to take part in the 15th meeting of the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission for Military-Technical Cooperation. He meets Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie to discuss prospects for military interaction between the two states. Serdyukov also meets Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
: Russia-China oil pipeline is switched into test-run mode as Russia’s crude oil starts flowing into China through the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean Pipeline (ESPO) from Taishet in Eastern Siberia to the Pacific port of Kozminoyears.
: The SCO agriculture ministers hold their regular meeting in Beijing. Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu makes an opening address.
: The eighth SCO Attorney Generals Meeting is held in Xiamen with the goal of increasing exchanges and improving the ability to handle transnational crimes. The delegates sign a protocol pledging further joint response to terrorism, separatism, extremism, transnational economic crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and illegal migration.
: SCO’s economy and trade ministers hold their annual meeting in Moscow and pledge to expand regional economic cooperation and development.
: Senior officials of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Eurasian Economic Community and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) gather for their first working meeting in Moscow on the initiative of CSTO. Participants include CSTO Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha, CIS Executive Committee Chairman and Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev, EurAsEC Secretary General Tair Mansurov and SCO Secretary-General Muratbek Imanaliyev.
: Chinese State Councilor and Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu attend the International Conference for Senior Representatives of National Security Affairs in Sochi, Russia at the invitation of Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. More than 40 countries join the forum.
: President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin send congratulatory messages to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao in recognition of the 61st anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.
: President Medvedev visits China at the invitation of Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao. He visits Dalian, Beijing and Shanghai and meets Hu, Parliament leader Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao, and Vice President Xi Jinping.
: Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Yang Jiechi meet on the sidelines of the 65th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
: The SCO holds its seventh joint antiterrorist exercise, Peace Mission 2010, in Kazakhstan.
: Chinese Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow and exchanges views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and restarting the Six-Party Talks.
: Prime Minister Putin attends the opening of the 72 km section of a pipeline in Skovorodino of the Amur region that delivers Russian oil to China.
: President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin express condolences to Chinese counterparts Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao over the air crash in Yichun, China.
: President Dmitry Medvedev calls President Hu and expresses condolences after a mudslide in China’s Gansu Province and Russia’s readiness to provide aid. Hu thanks Medvedev and expresses concern over the situation in Russia’s fire-stricken regions.
: Five Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Russia) and three observer states (India, Mongolia, and Pakistan) take part in the Saratov Anti-Terror 2010 drill in Russia.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao each send a telegram of sympathy to Russian counterparts for the losses caused by the forest fires in Russia this summer.
: First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Denisov meets Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao in Moscow to discuss in “a warm friendly atmosphere” a number of topical issues in Russian-Chinese including political contacts in the current year.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi hold a working meeting in Hanoi on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Conference.
: Russian military conduct a series of drills in the Sea of Japan as part of the Vostok 2010 strategic exercises in Russia’s Far East.
: Presidents Hu and Medvedev meet on the sidelines of a G20 Summit in Toronto.
: Russian and Chinese Deputy Foreign Ministers Alexei Borodavkin and Cheng Guoping, meet in Moscow to discuss Kyrgyzstan issue.
: RIMPAC 2010 is held in the waters off Hawaii.
: Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Yuri Trutnev and Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian sign a protocol on cooperation in the environmental protection and trans-boundary water resources.
: The 10th annual SCO Summit is held in Tashkent.
: Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese PLA, and Lt. Gen. Lichiyak, deputy chief of general staff and director of Main Directorate for Operations of the General Staff Headquarters of the Russian armed forces, jointly preside over the 13th round of strategic consultation in Moscow.
: China complains by raising “a solemn representation” with the DPRK regarding the killing of Chinese nationals on June 4.
: DPRK border guards shoot dead three Chinese nationals and wound another suspected of illegally crossing the China-DPRK border for trade activities.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov visits China. He meets President Hu, State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Foreign Minister Yang.
: Liao Xilong, director of the PLA General Logistics Department, meets visiting Deputy Minister of Defense Vera Chistova in Beijing.
: Viktor Ivanov, director of Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service (FDCS) visits China. He meets Zhou Yongkang, member of the Permanent Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Meng Jianzhu, minister of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China. They discuss trafficking of narcotics from Afghanistan and its impact on the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC.
: SCO foreign ministers meet in Tashkent to make preparations for the SCO Summit and discuss the situation in Kyrgyzstan. Foreign Minister Lavrov holds a brief working meeting with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
: Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov starts his seventh visit to China. He meets Vice President Xi and travels to Nanjing and then tours the World Expo in Shanghai.
: A Russian State Duma (Lower House) delegation, led by State Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov, pays an official goodwill visit to China at the invitation of top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo. Gryzlov meets President Hu and Vice President Xi Jinping.
: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov states that Russia is ready to help settle the dispute between China and exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and that Russia is interested in the “normalization in relations between Beijing and the Dalai Lama.”
: Russkiy Newsweek releases a “secret” Russian government document “Program for Effective Utilization of Foreign Political Factors on a Systematic Basis for Purposes of Long-Term Development of the Russian Federation.”
: President Hu Jintao visits Russia as the guest of President Medvedev for the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Hu meets Prime Minister Putin on May 8 and President Medvedev the following day.
: DPRK leader Kim Jong-il makes an unofficial visit to China.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui discuss in Moscow the situation in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia.
: Russian Minister of Economic Development Elvira Sakhipzadovna Nabiullina meets Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui in Moscow. They exchange views on how to deepen economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia.
: The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry delivers two consignments of humanitarian cargo (weighing more than 65 tons, worth about 37 million rubles) to China’s Qinghai Province where a deadly earthquake caused severe damage.
: Russia refuses to grant the Dalai Lama an entry visa requested by Russia’s Association of Kalmyk Buddhists.
: The SCO Security Councils’ secretaries hold their fifth session in Tashkent.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavki holds consultations in Beijing with Wu Dawei, China’s special representative on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, and Assistant Foreign Ministers Cheng Guoping, Hu Zhengyue and Liu Zhenmin. Borodavkin meets Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on April 22.
: Presidents Medvedev and Hu meet at the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) Summit in Brasilia ahead of the original schedule because Hu cut his short after the earthquake in China’s Qinghai Province.
: BRIC holds a two-day summit in Brasilia. Chinese President Hu Jintao attends only one day. Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo attends the second meeting of BRIC senior representatives on security issues.
: President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offer condolences to President Hu Jintao after a devastating earthquake of 7.1-magnitude hit China’s Qinghai province.
: An interim coalition government is formed in Kyrgyzstan with Roza Otunbayeva as prime minister.
: Riots break out across Kyrgyzstan, leading to the ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
: Gen. Ma Xiaotian, PLA deputy chief of staff and chairman of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies, meets Sergey Karaganov, president of the Foreign and Defense Policy Council of Russia, Nikolay Bordyuzha, secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) who were visiting China for the 2nd Symposium on “China and Russia in New International Environment” in Beijing.
: President Hu sends a telegram to the President Dmitry Medvedev expressing his condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the attacks in the Moscow metro. Hu also said that “China strongly condemns these attacks and expresses its support for the Russian efforts in fighting against terrorism, protecting its national security and social stability.”
: The seventh meeting of the SCO cultural ministers is held in China’s Hainan Province. Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, speaks at the meeting.
: China’s State Councilor Liu Yandong makes an official visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov in order to attend the opening ceremony of the Year of the Chinese Language.
: Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping makes an official visit to Russia as part of his four-European nation tour (Russia, Belarus, Finland and Sweden).
: First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov travels to Beijing and meets Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to discuss a “collective approach” to the resolution of the Iranian nuclear problem, Afghanistan, the opening of the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia.
: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) sponsors a conference in Moscow for deputy ministers of foreign affairs on Regional Consultations on Afghanistan.
: Chinese and Russian frontier defense troops complete the first joint patrol along the Argun River, an ice-covered boundary river in the east of China’s Inner Mongolia.
: Russian missile warning systems detect a test by China of an interceptor missile, although China had not given prior notification.
: President Medvedev meets President Hu Jintao in New York at the annual UN General Assembly.
: The Chinese and Russian naval escort taskforces carry out a joint exercise named Peace Blue Shield 2009 in the west sea area of the Gulf of Aden.
: China Central Television (CCTV) opens a broadcast in the Russian language. The channel is expected to serve a potential 300-million person audience in the 12 nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eastern Europe, and the Baltic states.
: Chinese Supreme People’s Court President Wang Shengjun and Russian Supreme Court President Vyacheslav Lebedev participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s 4th Conference of Presidents of the Supreme Courts in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.
: While patrolling the Gulf of Aden, eight Russian naval officers board the Chinese missile frigate Zhoushan at the invitation of the third Chinese naval escort taskforce.
: The finance ministers and central bank governors of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) gather in London to discuss the current situation of the world economy and their fiscal and monetary policy responses. They call for enhancing and consolidating the role of the Group of 20 major developed and developing countries (G20) in managing world economy.
: Russian and Chinese border guards hold a first-ever joint emergency-incident-handling exercise named Guomen Lijian (Country-Gate Sharp Sword), in the Heilongjiang River. Some 14 vessels and more than 240 personnel join the one-hour joint exercise.
: The newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui arrives in Moscow.
: Foreign Minister Yang telephones his Russian counterpart Lavrov.
: Peace Mission 2009 is held in China’s Jilin Province.
: Foreign Minister Lavrov meets Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi to discuss the Korean nuclear issue on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum held in Phuket, Thailand.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi calls Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov about the situation in China’s Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous District. The two also discuss key bilateral and international issues.
: China and Russia hold the third round of consultations of the military expert teams for the Peace Mission 2009 led by Ma Xiaotian, People’s Liberation Army deputy chief of General Staff and Lt. Gen. Antonov, deputy chief of army staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
: Russian and Chinese military experts hold their 3rd round of consultations in Baichen China on preparations for Peace Mission-2009 joint antiterrorist exercises to be held on July 22-26. Lt. Gen. Antonov and Lt. Gen. Ma co-chair the meeting.
: President Hu visits Moscow and meets President Medvedev.
: President Hu Jintao attends the annual SCO summit and the first meeting of BRIC leaders in Yekaterinburg of Russia.
: SCO Business Council and Interbank Consortium stages a conference entitled “The SCO – a Space for Economic Interaction and Counteraction against the Global Crisis” in the framework of the 13th Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg.
: The fourth SCO emergencies ministers meeting is held in Aktau, Kazakhstan. They agree on an Action Plan for 2009-2010 and to establish a SCO emergency relief center.
: Russian and Chinese militaries hold their second round of consultations in Khabarovsk on the joint antiterrorist exercise, Peace Mission 2009, due to be held in July. The Chinese delegation, consisting of 39 generals and officers, is led by Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff. The Russian delegation is led by Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces Lt. Gen. Sergei Antonov.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi initiates a telephone call to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the situation on the Korean Peninsula in connection with the DPRK’s underground nuclear test on May 25.
: A United Russia Party delegation, led by Secretary of the Presidium of the Party’s General Council Vyacheslav Volodin and head of the State Duma International Committee Constantine Kosachev, visits China. They meet Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and Vice President Xi Jinping.
: A delegation of the General Armaments Department of the PLA, led by Director General Chang Wanquan, conducts a four-day visit to Russia at the invitation of the Russian Defense Ministry. Members of the PLA group include Zhang Zhannan, deputy commander of the PLA Navy, Jing Wenchun, deputy commander of the PLA Air Force, Wang Jiurong, deputy commander of the Second Artillery Force. Vladimir Popovkin, deputy minister of defense and chief of armament of Russia, meets the group on May 21.
: The fourth session of the SCO Security Council secretaries is held in Moscow under the chairmanship of Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev. Chinese Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu joins.
: SCO officials in charge of anti-narcotics operations meet in Moscow and agree to establish a mechanism for coordinating the anti-narcotics activities.
: Chinese State Councilor and Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu meets Russian Internal Affairs Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev in Moscow. The two sign the 2009-2010 Cooperation Agreement of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Meng meets President Medvedev on May 20.
: The SCO conducts a disaster relief drill in Noginsk (Moscow Region). Kazakhstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan send their search and rescue teams. The SCO member and observer states (India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan) and other states including Belarus, Bulgaria and Lithuania also send their observation delegations.
: The first SCO public security and interior ministers meeting is held in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Russian Interior Minister Nurgaliev and Chinese State Councilor and Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu participate.
: The SCO holds its fourth session of the SCO Forum in Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan on the issues of global financial and economic crisis, water and energy resources, culture and education cooperation, Afghanistan, and the role of observer states.
: The SCO holds its annual foreign ministerial meeting in Moscow in preparation for SCO summit in June. President Medvedev joins the discussion of the draft declaration and joint communiqué to be adopted at the SCO summit.
: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress visits Russian for the third meeting of the Russian-Chinese Parliamentary Commission.
: The seventh SCO defense ministers meeting is held in Moscow. Medvedev joins the meeting.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits Moscow and meets Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, President Medvedev, and Russian Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov.
: Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie travels to Russia and visits the North Caucasian military district, meets Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and President Medvedev, and attends the SCO annual defense ministers meeting in Moscow.
: The fourth Sino-Russian energy dialogue is held in Beijing. A $25 billion intergovernmental oil deal is signed for an annual delivery of 15 million tons of Russian crude to China for 20 years.
: More than 1,000 SCO military personnel conduct a 3-day antiterrorism drill in Tajikistan. Special Forces with heavy armored vehicles, helicopters, and attack aircraft from five SCO member states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, and Tajikistan) participate.
: The 7th session of the SCO prosecutor general talks is held in Moscow. Russian Prosecutor General Yuriy Chayka and Chinese Prosecutor General Cao Jianming attend.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi telephones his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov about North Korea’s satellite launch.
: Presidents Hu Jintao and Dmitry Medvedev meet during the G20 meeting on the financial crisis in London.
: The 14th session of the Council of the SCO’s Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RATS) meet in Tashkent and approve a draft program of cooperation in the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism in 2010-2012.
: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, meets Dmitry Mezentsev, deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council.
: SCO member states hold a conference on Afghanistan in Moscow and issue a joint statement and an action plan to deal with terrorism and drug trafficking in Afghanistan.
: Vice Premier Alexander Zhukov visits China to co-chair with State Councilor Liu Yandong a ceremony of opening the “Year of the Russian Language” in China.
: Russian and Chinese militaries hold the first round of consultations on holding a joint antiterrorism exercise due in July-August.
: The Chinese International Strategic Society and the Society on Russian Foreign Affairs and National Defense Policy hold a two-day symposium in Moscow on global economic and political development, Central Asia, the Middle East, the SCO, and the global
: Secretary General Bolat Nurgaliyev of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) says the SCO is open to cooperation with NATO.
: Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov and Yang Jiechi call on relevant states to exercise restraint and composure, and for all countries concerned to refrain from steps that could undermine stability on the Korean Peninsula.
: State Councilor Meng Jianzhu, Chairman of the National Narcotics Control Commission and Minister of Public Security, meets Director Ivanov of the Federal Russian Narcotics Control Administration in Shanghai. Meng calls for stronger Sino-Russian cooperation in drug-trafficking crackdown.
: Chinese and Russian border defense forces hold the first joint border blockading and controlling military exercise between China’s Heihe City and Russia’s Blagoveschensk City.
: President Dmitry Medvedev sends a telegram to President Hu Jintao extending condolences to the families of the miners, who perished in north China’s Shanxi Province coalmine blast, and sending wishes of recovery to the injured.
: China and Russia sign seven energy cooperation agreements including the construction of a 67-km oil pipeline, a long-term crude oil deal (15 million tons of oil each year for 20 years), and a $25-billion financing for Russian oil and pipeline companies.
: Chinese cargo ship New Star is shelled by Russian Coast Guard vessels and sunk in seas near Nakhodka.
: Premier Wen Jiabao and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin hold an “in depth” exchange of views over the phone on bilateral relations and issues of common concern, such as financial crisis, cooperation in trade, energy, science, technology, and activities for the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov states that Moscow is ready to consider the possibility of a pastoral visit by the Dalai Lama to Russia.
: The third Russian-Chinese financial dialogue opens in Beijing. Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and Chinese counterpart Xie Xuren and the Chairman of the People’s Bank of China Zhou Xiaochuan discuss steps to strengthening bilateral cooperation, the world financial crisis, and prospects for expanding the use of national currencies in trade operations.
: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds a deputy foreign ministerial meeting in Moscow to discuss Afghanistan.
: The Years of the Chinese and Russian Languages (2009-10) are officially launched. The arrangement is that 2009 is Year of Russian Language in China and 2010 will be the Year of Chinese Language in Russia.
: President Hu sends New Year message to President Medvedev and announces the start of the Year of the Chinese and Russian Languages in China.
: President Medvedev sends a New Year eve message to President Hu, expressing deep satisfaction for the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership relations.
: PLA Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde and Russian counterpart Nikolay Makarov hold their first-ever conversation via direct phone link.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi initiates a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. In addition to discussing bilateral issues, they exchange views on relations between India and Pakistan, express serious concern over tension in South Asia, and agree that Russia and China would coordinate their actions and do their best to ease tension by political and diplomatic means.
: The third session of the Joint Russian-Chinese Border Commission is held in Beijing. The complete and final establishment and legal formalization of the border on Oct. 14, 2008 has turned the commission’s work from border demarcation to checking of existing border along the border line.
: Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeyev visits China and meets his counterpart Cai Wu.
: Defense Minister Serdyukov visits Beijing for the 13th session the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation.
: The Russian-Chinese Sub-Commission on Banking Cooperation discusses in Beijing the possibilities of using national currencies in bilateral trade.
: Jing Zhiyuan, commander of the Second Artillery Force of the PLA, meets Lt. Gen. Burutin, first deputy chief of general staff of the Russian Armed Forces at the Second Artillery Force Headquarters.
: The 19th session of the Joint Control Group to promote confidence building measures is held in Beijing with participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and China.
: The 12th round of strategic consultations between the Chinese and Russian general staff departments of the two armed forces are held in Beijing.
: Presidents Medvedev and Hu meet in Lima, Peru, on the sideline of the annual APEC forum. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov also hold separate talks during the meeting.
: Sun Xiaoqun, member of the CPC Central Committee, attends the 10th National Congress of the United Russia, Russia’s ruling party holding two-thirds of the seats in the State Duma. Sun pledges to enhance exchange and cooperation with the United Russia.
: Presidents Medvedev and Hu meet in Washington following the G20 summit on the world financial crisis.
: State Councilor Dai Bingguo visits Russia at the invitation of Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. They hold the third round of Russian-Chinese Consultations on Strategic Security on Nov. 5-6. Dai meets Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Medvedev on Nov. 7.
: The seventh annual Council of the SCO Heads of Government (prime ministers) meets in Astana, Kazakhstan. Several documents are signed including a protocol between the customs services of the SCO member states to exchange information on transfer of energy resources, the SCO budget for 2009. The action plan for implementing the multilateral trade and economic cooperation agreement is also updated.
: Vice Premier Wang Qishan visits Russia to attend a session of the Sino-Russian energy talks mechanism prior to the 13th meeting of the Chinese-Russian Prime Ministers Regular Meeting.
: State Councilor Liu Yandong visits Russia at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov for the ninth session of a China-Russia Committee on Humanitarian Cooperation.
Oct. 27-29, 2008: Premier Wen Jiabao visits Moscow for the 13th regular meeting of the Russian and Chinese heads of governments on Oct. 28 with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. In Moscow, Wen meets President Medvedev and State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov and co-chairs with Putin the opening session of the third Russian-Chinese Investment Forum. Several commercial documents are signed in the areas of oil pipelines, nuclear power, helicopter sales, banking, and joint development of a heavy civilian helicopter.
Oct. 27-29, 2008: Premier Wen Jiabao visits Moscow for the 13th regular meeting of the Russian and Chinese heads of governments on Oct. 28 with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. In Moscow, Wen meets President Medvedev and State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov and co-chairs with Putin the opening session of the third Russian-Chinese Investment Forum. Several commercial documents are signed in the areas of oil pipelines, nuclear power, helicopter sales, banking, and joint development of a heavy civilian helicopter.
: The 12th Meeting of the Russian-Chinese Nuclear Issues Subcommittee for the regular Russian-China Prime Minister Meeting is held in Beijing. A protocol is signed for building the third phases of the gas centrifuge plant and two additional units of the Tianwan nuclear power plant.
: In an low-key ceremony, Russia officially transfers control over half of Bolshoi Ussuriisky Island (hei xia zi dao) and all of Tarabarov Island (yin long dao), in total about 375 square km, to China. Zhao Xidi, an ambassador-level official with the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and Vladimir Malyshev, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry First Asian Department, jointly unveil the boundary markers. Russia and China reached an agreement on dividing the disputed islands in the Amur River in 2004. The border was legally established in July 2007 in a supplemental protocol. The transfer was the final settlement of the border issue after more than 40 years of negotiations between the two governments.
: The 11th meeting of the Sub-Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation is held in Moscow and co-chaired by Minister of Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina and Minister of Commerce Chen Deming. A joint statement pledged to enhance coordination in solving problems in market access and trade.
: A Chinese naval squadron consisting of destroyer Tai Zhou and guided missile frigate Ma An Shan arrive at the port of Vladivostok for a four-day visit. The Chinese squadron is led by the PLAN East Sea Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Xu Hongmen and hosted by Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet Vice Adm. Sergei Viktorovich Avramenko.
: Foreign Minister Yang meets Foreign Minister Lavrov in New York City during the 63rd UN General Assembly. The two discussed bilateral, regional and global issues.
: Vice Premier Wang Qishan separately meets in Beijing chiefs of the delegations to the first SCO Economic and Trade Ministerial Meeting. Wang propose three principles for promoting regional economic cooperation: promoting investment and trade facilitation in a down-to-earth manner, building networks to promote economic convergence, and encouraging enterprises to carry out exchanges and strengthen cooperation in pooling capital.
: SCO’s Business Council holds a session in the East-Siberian city of Irkutsk chaired by Dmitry Mezentsev, the Council’s president. The participants discuss issues of setting up a SCO energy club, public health, insurance, and social security of population of the member-states, as well as a SCO university.
: The SCO conducts the 2nd phase of the “Volgograd Anti-Terror 2008” antiterrorist exercise in Russia’s Volgograd. The goal is to practice teamwork between the units from each SCO member state.
: The 8th annual SCO summit is held in Dushanbe. Russia assumes chairmanship until the next session of the Council of SCO Heads of State in Yekaterinburg, Russia in 2009.
: Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin meets Chinese Ambassador to Russia Liu Guchang and informs Liu about Russia’s decision to recognize independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
: Presidents Medvedev and Hu meet on the sideline of the SCO summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. They discuss the situations in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
: Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev visits Beijing and meets State Councilor Dai Bingguo to discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues including the situation in the Caucasus.
: In response to Georgian attacks on Ossetian separatists, Russian troops invade and occupy South Ossetia and from there launch attacks into Georgia proper.
: Prime Minister Putin visits Beijing. In addition to attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Putin holds “informal talks” with President Hu, Premier Wen, and former President Jiang Zemin.
: Vice Premier Igor Sechin visits China to launch a new mechanism of China-Russia energy negotiations. Sechin meets Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Vice Premier Wang Qishan and managers of the China National Petrochemical Corporation and the China Nuclear Industry Corporation.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Council of the Foreign Ministers meets in Dushanbe, Tajikistan to finalize documents for the annual SCO summit, including the drafts of the Dushanbe Declaration, a new mechanism for the SCO to interface with “dialogue partners,” an agreement to establish an expert group for the development of criteria of adopting new members, and an agreement on fighting terrorism and illegal circulation of arms.
: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visits China and signs with his counterpart Yang Jiechi the “Additional Protocol-Description of the Line of the Russian-Chinese State Border in its Eastern Part,” which means the territorial issue between Russia and China has been finally resolved after 40 years of negotiations. In Beijing, Lavrov also meets President Hu Jintao.
: One hundred Chinese children affected by a devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province arrive in the Kemerovo region to spend three weeks in a regional children recreation center. A total of 1,000 Chinese children from the quake area would go to Russian resorts during the third quarter.
: President Hu Jintao and President Dmitry Medvedev meet in Toyako, Hokkaido, on the sidelines of the G8 summit. The two agree to promote bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership, and express their determination to give priority to the development of a long-term and steady partnership.
: The 3rd meeting of the Sino-Russian environmental cooperation sub-commission is held in Moscow and co-chaired by Natural Resources and Ecology Minister Yuri Trutnev and Environmental Protection Minister Zhou Shengxian.
: The 5th meeting of SCO’s culture ministers is held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. They approve a plan for cultural cooperation for the years 2009-2011.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jechi initiates a phone call to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss coordination in the international arena.
: Head of the Russian armed forces’ troops air defense Col. Gen. Nikolai Frolov visits China to study the combat application, operation, technical maintenance, and repair of Russian-made surface-to-air missile systems. Frolov meets PLA General Staff Chief Col. Gen. Chen Bingde on May 18.
: Premier Wen Jiabao and Russian PM Putin in a telephone conversation discuss rescue and relief work for the Sichuan earthquake including rehabilitation in Russia of Chinese children from quake-stricken provinces. They also decide to set up a joint energy commission at the level of deputy prime minister.
: State Councilor Liu Yandong meets Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov in Beijing. They co-chair the China-Russian Joint Committee on Cultural and Humanities Cooperation.
: The 3rd meeting of the Russo-Chinese Business Council is held in Beijing. The Council’s main purpose is to help businessmen of the two countries establish direct contacts.
: President Medvedev visits China on his first trip outside the country since being inaugurated and meets President Hu.
: Chiefs of SCO supreme courts meet for the third time in Astana, Kazakhstan to discuss ecological and migration issues. An agreement is signed to exchange legal information between courts of the SCO member states.
: The SCO Forum, a research arm for the SCO Secretariat and Council of National Coordinators, meets in Beijing to discuss ways to create an “objective and friendly media and academic environment” for the stable and long-term development of the SCO.
: SCO defense ministers meet in Dushanbe and discuss ways to broaden military cooperation. They sign an agreement to regulate defense and security cooperation.
: The 8th Russia-China-Indian foreign ministerial meeting is held in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The trilateral meeting is followed by a four-party meeting, adding Brazil’s foreign minister on May 16, to review areas of four-party interaction.
: President Medvedev sends a message of condolences and offers Russian assistance to President Hu following the powerful earthquake that struck China’s southwestern Sichuan Province.
: Premier Wen Jiabao sends a congratulatory message to Putin on his election as Russia’s prime minister. Wen says that he is ready to work with Putin to expand and deepen pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
: President Hu sends a congratulatory message to Dmitry Medvedev on his inauguration as Russian president. The message states that China and Russia share responsibility to ensure the steady and healthy development of their strategic partnership and that he is ready to work with Medvedev to deepen mutual political trust between the two countries, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and strengthen coordination in international and regional affairs.
: President Putin sends a letter of condolences to President Hu after a train crash in China’s Shandong Province, in which at least 70 people were killed and over 400 were injured.
: President Hu Jintao sends a congratulatory message to Russia’s outgoing President Putin upon his election as chairman of the ruling United Russia Party. Hu says the Chinese Communist Party is willing to further consolidate and deepen friendly ties with the United Russia Party.
: Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie meets Russian State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Viktor Zavarzin in Beijing.
: A session of the SCO’s Council of the Regional Anti-terror Structure (RATS) in Tashkent signs into effect two documents: an agreement on cooperation in fighting the smuggling of arms, ammunition, and explosives and an agreement on personnel training for the SCO member states’ anti-terror formations. At the initiative of the Chinese, the session considers issues related to ensuring security during the Olympic games in China.
: Iran submits an official membership application to SCO’s Secretariat, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki during his visit to Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman comments the following day that China welcomes Iran’s desire to strengthen cooperation in all spheres with the SCO, but “The decision on the admission of Iran to the SCO should be made unanimously by all members of this organization.”
: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi discuss important bilateral issues by telephone, including the March 22 elections in Taiwan.
: President Putin sends a letter to President Hu congratulating him on being re-elected president of China. Putin “re-confirms Russia’s intention to develop the strategic partnership with China to the benefit of our peoples and in the interests of strengthening international peace and security and building a just multipolar world order.” President-elect Medvedev sends a separate message to congratulate Hu.
: National coordinators from the SCO member states meet in Beijing to discuss the Dushanbe summit of SCO heads of state and foreign ministers, and current affairs, including more cooperation with Afghanistan at the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group,”
: A direct military hot line is opened between Russian and Chinese defense establishments. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan hold a telephone talk and agree the direct line ensures timely consultations and coordination between the two sides on hot issues around the world.
: In a phone talk with President Hu, President Putin calls for the continuation of the “comprehensive development of Russian-Chinese strategic cooperation.” Hu thanks Putin for Russia’s humanitarian aid for the snow disaster in southern China.
: Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan decide to sell gas at European prices (about $300 per 1,000 cubic meters) beginning January 2009.
: Russian Emergency Situations Ministry sends three IL-76 aircraft loaded with 10 heavy-duty diesel generators and 16,500 quilts in response to the snow disaster that struck southern China.
: President Hu Jintao initiates a telephone talk with Russian President-elect Dmitry Medvedev. Hu congratulates Medvedev on winning the elections and wishes him success. He invites Medvedev to pay an official visit to China.
: Venshtorgbank (VTB), Russia’s biggest bank, opens its first Chinese branch in Shanghai. The Shanghai branch will cooperate with China UnionPay system to provide banking card services to both domestic and Russian clients. It also plans to offer RMB services within three years. VTB is the largest international banking group in Russia. Operating in 17 countries with assets of $80 billion, VTB is however a latecomer to China’s lucrative banking sector, now saturated by more than 300 foreign banks.
: China and Russia submit a joint proposal for an international treaty to ban the deployment of weapons in outer space at the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
: Xi Jinping, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), meets Gennady Zyuganov, president of the Communist Party of Russian Federation in Beijing. Xi praises the recent development of the China-Russia strategic partnership, vow that China is committed to making joint efforts with the Russian side to boost the partnership. Zyuganov was in China on an invitation from the Chinese Communist Party.
: Sino-Russian trade reached $48 billion in 2007, up 44.3 percent year-on-year and the highest annual growth since 1993.
: Putin sends greetings to President Hu saying that relations between Russia and China have a strong impact on the formation of a just world order.
: President Putin sends a message to President Hu in response to the latter’s congratulations on the victory of the United Russia party in parliamentary elections on Dec. 2. In his message, Putin praises “the objective attitude of the Chinese government towards internal political processes in Russia,” and says “[T]his proves the strength of our bilateral partnership and strategic cooperation which we are going to further increase in every possible way.”
: The Russian-Chinese Forum on Economic and Legal Issues is held in Vladivostok. Participants include Russian Supreme Arbitration Court President Anton Ivanov, presidential envoy in the Far-Eastern federal district Oleg Safonov, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang and Commerce Minister Bo Xilai.
: The 11th round of strategic consultations between the General Staff Headquarters of the Chinese and Russian military are held in Moscow. PLA Deputy Chief of the General Staff Ma Xiaotian and Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Russian Chief of Intelligence Directorate Alexander Rukshin jointly chair the consultation in a “frank and friendly atmosphere.” Ma also meets Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Yury Baluyevsky.
: Premier Wen Jiabao visits Russia for the 12th annual prime ministerial meeting with Russian counterpart Viktor Zubkov. Wen meets Putin and joins the 2nd Russian-Chinese Economic Forum in Moscow. Nine agreements, including the joint communiqué, are signed.
: The 6th SCO Prime Ministers Meeting is held in Tashkent.
: Foreign ministers of India, China, and Russia hold third trilateral meeting in Harbin, in Heilongjiang Province. The ministers “thoroughly discussed” “key global issues.” Special attention is given to cooperation in East Asia, the Asia-Pacific Region, and the SCO.
: A delegation of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) led by Vice Chairman Li Zhaozhuo visits Russia. Li meets Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Dmitry Mezentsev.
: President Putin sends a congratulatory letter marking the 50th anniversary of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society. The letter says that people-to-people contact “has largely helped save the Russian and Chinese peoples’ traditional feelings of empathy for each other,” and “promoted normalization of inter-state ties and raise[d] them to the level of a trustful partnership and strategic interaction. A ceremony was held in Moscow for the anniversary.
: Russian Constitutional Court President Valery Zorkin visits China at the invitation of the Chinese Supreme People’s Court Xiao Yang.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) sign a memorandum on cooperation in Dushanbe that enables expanded security cooperation between the two organizations. The document was the result of several years of consensus building from 2003.
: President Vladimir Putin sends a message to Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on the PRC’s 58th anniversary, saying that the level of Russian-Chinese relations is at unprecedented levels.
: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov visits China to co-chair the 11th Session of the Committee for the Regular Meeting of Chinese and Russian Premiers in Hangzhou. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov and his counterpart chaired the meeting. He meets Premier Wen on Sept. 29.
: Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Sergei Mironov visits China at the invitation of Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo. He attends the second meeting of the Cooperation Committee of China’s National People’s Congress and the Russian Federation Council. He meets President Hu and Premier Wen on Sept. 27.
: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sends a congratulatory message to Viktor Zubkov on his appointment as prime minister.
: President Putin meets President Hu on the sidelines of an APEC summit in Sydney, which, according to Putin, would likely be their last face-to-face encounter before he leaves office in March 2008. In this fifth meeting in 2007, Putin assures Hu of continuities in Russia’s relations with China.
: A delegation led by President of the Supreme Arbitration Court Anton Ivanov visits China and meets President of the Supreme People’s Court of China Xiao Yang and Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Luo Gan.
: One hundred of China’s elite Snow Leopard Commandos of the People’s Armed Police (PAP) join 600 special task force Vityazj (Knight) of the Russian interior troops in the antiterrorism exercise Sodruzhestvo-2007 (Cooperation-2007). The first time the PAP participated in an international, joint antiterrorism exercise outside China.
: Chinese State Councilor Chen Zhili visits Russia at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov to co-chair the eighth session of the China-Russia committee on cultural and humanities cooperation in Moscow. She also participates in activities of Russia’s China Year and meets Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov Sept. 4.
: The sub-commission for environmental protection, part of the bilateral commission preparing for regular meetings between prime ministers, held in Beijing.
: A unit of Chinese navy warships – the destroyer Guangzhou and the integrated supply ship Lake Weishanghu – visits St Petersburg after 30 days of continuous sailing. It is the first time China’s naval vessels enter the Baltic Sea.
: Russian Economic Development and Trade Minster German Gref visits Beijing for the 10th session of the sub-commission for trade and economic cooperation of the Russian-Chinese commission in preparation for the regular prime ministerial meeting. His counterpart was Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai.
: SCO annual summit held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The “Treaty of Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation among SCO Member States” is signed.
: The Russian-Chinese working group in charge of cross-border and interregional trade and business cooperation and preparations for regular meetings between the two countries’ prime ministers meets in Vladivostok.
: SCO’s six member countries conduct a joint antiterrorism drill, Peace Mission 2007.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits Russia at the invitation of his counterpart Sergei Lavrov to “review the entire spectrum of international problems” including the Six-Party Talks on the DPRK nuclear issue, bilateral relations, and the upcoming joint military exercise in August. Yang met President Putin July 13.
: The 2nd Sino-Russian inter-ministerial financial dialogue is held in Moscow to discuss how to maintain macroeconomic balance and sustained growth against the backdrop of global economic imbalance including the U.S. dollar dependence of both the Russian and Chinese economies.
: The Council of SCO foreign ministers meets in Bishkek to discuss preparations for the SCO summit in August. It approves the agenda for the summit including the text for the “Friendly Treaty” and agrees to step up contacts with SCO observer states and broaden the activity of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group.
: The Sino-Russian energy sub-commission, part of the preparation for the annual prime ministerial meetings, meets in Beijing. Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko says the construction of a branch to China of the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline is due to begin in 2008. The branch line will carry 30 million tons of oil annually and be financed and most likely constructed by China.
: Gu Xiulian, president of the All-China Women’s Federation and vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, visits Moscow and meets Boris Gryzlov, chairman of the State Duma, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Gu was part of an 80-member delegation for the 4th China-Russia Women’s Culture Week.
: Presidents George W. Bush and Putin hold U.S.-Russia summit in Kennebunkport, Maine.
: Gazprom deputy chief executive Alexander Ananenkov tells reports that if talks with China are not completed, the start of the Altai pipeline project could be delayed a year.
: SCO’s fourth defense ministerial meeting held in Bishkek. A Joint Communiqué is issued and the ministers sign an agreement for the joint military exercise in Russia in August.
: Russian Finance Ministry confirms transfer of funds from the Delta Banco Asia to North Korea was completed via Dalkombank.
: BBC News reports that Gazprom has asked the Kremlin to cancel an agreement to pipe 80 billion cubic meters of gas a year from ExxonMobil’s Sakhalin-1 project.
: The Sino-Russian Sub-commission for sports cooperation held its seventh meeting in Moscow. A protocol is signed and China agrees to provide support and convenience for the Russian Olympic team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
: Anatoly Chubais, head of Unified Energy System of Russia, argues that Russia-to-China gas exports at the expense of Russian consumers are “a strategic mistake” and “must be re-examined.”
: The 18th International Trade and Economic Fair held in Harbin, China.
: The Russian-Chinese Youth Games opens in Moscow as part of the Year of China. Some 88 Chinese athletes compete in basketball, handball, springboard diving, synchronized swimming, martial arts, and other sport.
: President Hu Jintao sends a congratulatory message to Vladimir Putin for Russia’s national day.
: Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asian Affairs Richard Boucher during his visit to Kyrgyzstan states that the Manas air base was a bilateral issue between the U.S. and Kyrgyzstan and that the SCO should not discuss this issue..
: St. Petersburg “Shanghai Week” begins in Russia as part of “China Year” festivities.
: World Economic Forum Russia CEO Roundtable is held in St. Petersburg. Putin and top Russian economic officials meet over 100 chief executives of foreign businesses doing business in Russia.
: Presidents Putin and Hu Jintao meet during the G-8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. They discussed bilateral cooperation in SCO’s framework.
: Eleventh St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is held in Russia.
: Vice Premier Wu Yi pays an official visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev. She attends the 11th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and activities related to the Year of China, including St. Petersburg’s “Shanghai Week” (June 9-16).
: Russian and Chinese FMs Lavrov and Yang meet on the sidelines of the third Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue in Seoul and discuss the planned deployment by the U.S. of missile defense elements in Eastern Europe, in addition to other bilateral, regional and international issues.
: China’s National Development and Reform Commission Vice Chairman Chen Deming visits Ashgabat, Turkmenistan to implement the China-Turkmenistan gas contract signed April 3, 2006.
: SCO conducts Issyk-Kul-Antiterror-2007 exercise at the Edelveis training ground near Balykchy in Kyrgyzstan.
: The Sino-Russian Committee of Friendship, Peace, and Development opens its seventh plenary meeting in Moscow. It adopts the 2007 plan for more than 60 activities of humanism, business, local cooperation, exchanges, etc.
: Third conference for SCO member states’ security councils is held in Bishkek. Russia’s Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov and deputy Security Council Secretary and deputy public security minister Meng Hongwei join.
: SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure group produces a list of 39 terrorist, separatist, and extremist organizations operating in SCO countries.
: Fifth Russian-Chinese working group on media cooperation meets in Beijing. A protocol calls on the two countries’ media outlets “to take active part” in the events of China Year in Russia in 2007 and guarantee “full and impartial coverage.”
: A political forum is held in Moscow at the initiative of the United Russia Party and the Chinese Communist Party. Part of the Year of China in Russia, the forum addresses the two countries’ relations from a global and regional perspective. Wang Lequan, member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and Secretary of the Communist Party of China of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, leads the Chinese group. His Russian host is United Russia leader Boris Gryzlov.
: First unit at Russian-built Tianwan nuclear power plant is commissioned for commercial operation. The second unit had a test run May 1 and is expected to be online at year’s end.
: The Sino-Russian transportation subcommittee under the Chinese-Russian Prime Ministers’ regular meeting commission meets in Moscow.
: The fourth round of consultations of SCO military experts on organizing the Peace Mission-2007 drill is held in the Chinese city of Urumchi. China’s Deputy Chief of the General Staff Zhang Qinsheng hosts; Russian delegation is headed by Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Land Forces Col. Gen. Vladimir Moltenskoi.
: Russian State Duma (the lower house of Parliament) Chairman Boris Gryzlov visits China for the second meeting of the Russian-Chinese parliamentary commission. Gryzlov meets Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo, President Hu Jintao, and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinglin.
: Energy summit is held in Warsaw, Poland to reduce Azerbaijani, Georgian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Kazakh dependence on Russian energy. Kazakhstan president pulls out of the meeting to meet Putin and sends a representative in his stead.
: Putin visits Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Russia-Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan talks are held on May 12 to discuss upgrades to existing Soviet-era energy infrastructures.
: China’s FM Yang Jiechi meets Russian FM Sergei Lavrov at Sharm El-sheikh on the sidelines of an international meeting on Iraq’s security. The two discuss bilateral relations including the Year of China in Russia, the SCO, and other major international issues.
: Yang Jiechi is named China’s new foreign minister.
: President Hu Jintao sends condolences to President Putin over the death of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin on April 23 at the age of 76.
: Russia’s first President Boris Yeltsin passes away.
: SCO military experts conduct the third-round of talks for the August anti-terrorism military exercise Peace Mission-2007 to be held in Chelyabinsk. Consensus is reached on issues concerning logistics and scheme. Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Yury Baluyevsky and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese military Zhang Qinsheng attend.
: SCO holds its second chief justice conference in St. Petersburg. SCO top judges pledge to strengthen cooperation in cracking down on extremist and drug-related crimes. A declaration on judicial cooperation is signed.
: The Year of the Russian Language in China opens at Beijing University of Foreign Languages. This includes a composition competition, photo exhibition, filmed works of Russian classical literature, roundtable discussion, scientific conference, and concert. It is sponsored by the Chinese Association of Teachers of the Russian Language and Literature, Institute of the Russian Language at Beijing University of Foreign Languages, and the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary General Bolat Nurgaliyev in an Itar-Tass interview says that the SCO is keen on seeing Turkmenistan more active in regional capacity building. Turkmenistan is not a member of the SCO.
: Igor Rogachyov, former Russian ambassador to China and now Federation Council member, points out to Russian media Interfax that “most Chinese are hardworking, disciplined, responsible, and, what is most important, law-abiding people” and that “all the concerns voiced by various political pundits and the media on this account are farfetched from beginning to end. There is no such threat.”
: A delegation of Russian Interior Ministry Forces, led by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Yury Babkin, begins a visit to China. The group holds the third coordination session with Chinese counterparts in Beijing for a joint exercise in September in Russia’s Krasnodar territory. The Russian delegation also visits a Chinese armed police unit in Shanghai.
: Executive Committee of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS) holds ninth session in Tashkent. Representatives of intelligence agencies of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan discuss creation of a secure information and telecommunications system. They pass a draft RATS 2006 report that will be submitted to the Council of Heads of State, and deliberate on a draft agreement for the training of specialists and instructors for SCO countries’ anti-terror units. Myrzakan Subanov of Kyrgyzstan is elected new director of the RATS Executive Committee.
: Intel announces plan to build 12-inch wafer plant in China.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao pays a three-day state visit to Russia. Hu and Putin attend the opening ceremony of the “Year of China” in Russia. He also meets Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and State Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov. Russia’s Year of China will feature some 200 activities, including a large Chinese National Exhibition in Moscow on March 26-29, the biggest exhibition China held overseas in almost three decades; $4.3 billion contracts are signed during the exhibition.
: SCO holds its second meeting of the expert working group on modern information and telecommunication technology in Bishkek to prepare documents for the SCO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Aug. 16, 2007.
: China and Russia, along with the United States, France, England, and Germany, agree to UNSCR 1747 to ban all Iranian arms exports and freeze the financial assets of 28 Iranian officials and institutions, including several commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
: Russian Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Army Gen. Yury Baluyevsky visits China to discuss bilateral military and military-technical cooperation, particularly joint military exercises Peace Mission 2007 in summer. He meets Deputy Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Council Guo Boxiong, Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan, and Chief of the Chinese Army General Staff Liang Guanglie.
: Shanghai Stock Exchange drops 8.8 percent on fears that Beijing might try to dampen the recent rise in stock prices; other exchanges have steep drops as well.
: The second trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of India, Russia, and China is held in New Delhi (between Pranab Mukherjee, Sergei Lavrov, and Li Zhaoxing).
: In a key policy speech at an international security conference in Munich, Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly denounces U.S. policy, using – among other terms – the words “pernicious” and “unacceptable.”
: Russia bans all foreigners from working as sellers in its shops and markets. Foreigners can still work as loaders, cleaners, wholesalers, or managers.
: China and Russia veto a U.S.-sponsored UNSC resolution that demanded an end to political repression and human rights violations in Myanmar.
: Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) announces China will establish friendship associations to enhance ties with five Central Asian countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan). He makes the remark at a reception with ambassadors of the five nations in Beijing to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and five central Asian countries.
: The official website – www.2007china.org, for the “Year of China” in Russia in 2007 – is opened in both Chinese and Russian. It covers all activities during the “Year of China.”
: President Putin sends New Year’s greetings to Chinese President Hu Jintao, saying that Russia and China have achieved impressive results in promoting mutually advantageous cooperation and the upcoming Year of China in Russia “will serve as a powerful incentive to open the potential of strategic partnership between the two countries more fully.”
: Russian PM Mikhail Fradkov discusses further Russian-Chinese cooperation with Chinese special envoy Tan Jiaxiuan in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan while attending the funeral of President Saparmurat Niyazov.
: Russian Communist Party Chairman Gennady Zyuganov visits China as part of the regular exchange agreement. Zyuganov travels to Beijing and Shanghai.
: Russian Minister for Emergencies Sergei Shoigu visits Beijing to attend a SCO emergency ministers conference for coordinating and integrating measures in time of emergency. An action plan on cooperation in disaster relief is passed.
: Chinese and Russian presidents meet on the sidelines of the 14th APEC summit in Hanoi. This was preceded by the Russian-Chinese foreign ministerial meeting between Li Zhaoxing and Sergei Lavrov Nov. 18.
: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov visits China to take part in the 11th regular meeting of Sino-Russian prime ministers and to attend a ceremony wrapping up the Year of Russia in China. This is preceded by the 10th meeting of the committee for regular meeting of prime ministers chaired by Vice Premier Wu Yi and the Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov on Nov. 7.
: Some 25 senior SCO military officials meet in Beijing to participate in the second “China’s Peaceful Development and the SCO” forum and to discuss how to step up defense cooperation. Officers from observer nations of Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India also attend.
: The seventh session of the China-Russia Cooperation Committee on Education, Culture, Health and Sports is held in Beijing. It is co-chaired by Chinese State Councilor Chen Zhili and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov.
: SCO holds its first education ministerial meeting in Beijing to discuss cooperation in the education sphere. An expert team will be set up to verify education certificates of SCO member states.
: Russian and Chinese finance ministers hold first inter-ministerial financial dialogue in Beijing.
: China’s special envoy Tang Jiaxuan visits Moscow to discuss North Korea’s nuclear test. He meets Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, and President Putin. The talks were requested by the Chinese side.
: Russian border guard department chief Igor Kurilov and director of the central border guard division of China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous district Ji Yafei sign in Novosibirsk a cooperation plan to hold joint exercises in 2007 at one border crossing point with a scenario to fight terrorism and illegal trade in arms and ammunition.
: President Putin sends Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao a message of congratulations on the 57th anniversary of the PRC.
: The 10th session of the Russian-Chinese atomic energy cooperation commission held in Beijing and co-chaired by Russian Federal Atomic Energy head Sergei Kiriyenko and Chairman of the Chinese Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense Zhang Yunchuan. The two sides plan atomic energy cooperation following the commercial start-up of two units of the Tianwan nuclear power plant.
: Eighth meeting of the SCO regional antiterror agency council held in Beijing. Twelve documents were signed and Russia took chairmanship of the council.
: Fifty Chinese and Russian scholars and experts join the first non-governmental “friendly strategic dialogue mechanism” in Beijing, co-sponsored by the China Association for International Friendly Contacts (CAIFC) and the Russian Institute of Security, National Defense and Justice.
: Chief of the Russian Federal Agency of Atomic Energy Sergei Kiriyenko visits China for the 10th meeting of the Russian-Chinese subcommission on nuclear cooperation as part of the preparation for regular meetings of Russian and Chinese prime ministers and visits the Tianwan nuclear power plant.
: Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov attend a reception in Beijing for the 57th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. President Hu attends a song and dance performance by the Alexandrov Ensemble of the Russian Armed Forces.
: Russian Presidential Chief of Staff Sergei Sobyanin visits China as guest of the Chinese government. He meets Secretary of China’s State Council Hua Jianmin, Vice-President Zeng Qinghong, and chief of the Communist Party Central Committee’s chancellery Wang Gang. He also visits Shanghai.
: First Deputy Minister of Industry and Energy Andrei Reus and Chinese counterpart deputy chairman of the committee on science technology and industry of national defense Jin Zhuanglong launch the first session of the bilateral commission on cooperation in civil aviation and aircraft-manufacturing. An agreement was signed to co-develop a trainer aircraft. They endorse a 2007-10 plan for cooperation and discussed the possibility of co-developing a large transportation plane.
: SCO holds first supreme court presidents conference in Shanghai. They discuss cross-border crime and measures to strengthen judicial cooperation to fight the “three evil forces” of terrorism, extremism and separatism. Russian Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev and Chinese counterpart Xiao Yang attend. The conference also decides to set up a permanent conference of supreme court heads.
: Russian FM Sergei Lavrov initiates a meeting with foreign ministers of China and Brazil, and defense minister of India on the sideline of the UN in New York. They agreed to continue this at various multilateral forums.
: Chairman of the Federation Council Upper House of Parliament Sergei Mironov and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo co-chair a roundtable regarding “legal, regulatory framework” for Russian-Chinese economic and humanitarian cooperation.
: The fifth meeting of the SCO’s prime ministers held in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, focusing on energy, transport, and telecommunications as priorities.
: The seventh session of the space exploration sub-commission of the Russian-Chinese commission for the preparation of regular prime minister meetings held in Moscow. Russian Federal Space Agency Chairman Anatoly Perminov and head of the China National Space Administration Sun Laiyan approve and confirm the program of Russian-Chinese cooperation for 2007-2009, including a joint space exploration program.
: Seminar of Russian and Chinese media workers held in Beijing as part of the Year of Russia in China. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev and Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi sent congratulation messages.
: SCO holds its trade ministerial meeting in Uzbek capital of Tashkent. Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Yu Guangzhou and Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Vitaliy Savelyev joins the meeting. A decision is made to set up a working panel specialized in promoting regional energy and telecommunications cooperation.
: Prosecutors from six SCO member countries attend a meeting in Dushanbe. Russia and China were represented by Prosecutor-General Yuriy Chayka and Deputy Procurator-General of the Chinese Supreme People’s Procuratorate Hu Kehui.
: Five Chinese citizens among 10 killed in the explosion in the Cherkizovsky market in Moscow. Seven out of 55 injured were Chinese.
: Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai agree via telephone to step up joint efforts in the UN Security Council to resolve the Lebanese-Israeli conflict.
: Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev holds second joint working group meeting in Moscow with Chinese counterpart Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang. They sign a protocol of border defense cooperation after discussing possible joint operations against trans-border organized crimes especially drug trafficking, training of personnel, and hosting children’s groups of each other’s police officers. Zhou also visited the Alfa Special Antiterror Troop of Russia.
: FM Li holds phone talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov regarding implementation of the consensus reached by Presidents Hu and Putin during the G-8 meeting.
: President Hu Jintao attends dialogue meeting of the leaders of the G-8 in St. Petersburg. He first meets President Bush and then President Putin. Hu also visited the $1.346-billion “Baltic Pearl” construction project in the Red Village District in the southwestern part of St Petersburg, now being built by a Shanghai company.
: SCO’s Antiterror Structure (RATS) approves Myrzakan Subanov, former head of the Kyrgyz Border Service, as director of the RATS’ executive committee, starting from Jan. 1, 2007.
: President Hu Jintao sends a consolatory message to President Vladimir Putin over the crash of an A-310 passenger plane at Irkutsk airport.
: FM Li makes phone calls to foreign ministers of 11 member UNSC countries and the Republic of Korea.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discuss via telephone the UN’s response to the missile tests by North Korea.
: Russia decides not to invite the Dalai-Lama to the Moscow Religious Summit. Ye Xiaowen, head of the Chinese department for religious affairs, attends.
: President Putin holds informal meeting with Hu during the CICA summit meeting.
: President Hu attends the second summit of the member states of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Kazakhstan. In his speech, Hu called for building a harmonious Asia of enduring peace and common prosperity. The CICA, a regional security forum created in June 2002, has 17 members: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, Iran, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, and Uzbekistan; and nine observer members: Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, the United States, Ukraine, and Japan.
: Sixth annual summit meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State held in Shanghai. Ten documents are signed including the Declaration on the Fifth Anniversary of the SCO. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad joins the meeting.
: President Hu sends congratulatory message to Putin on Russia’s National Day.
: Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov visits with a delegation of 249 for Moscow Week in Beijing, which includes roundtables, a concert, an arts exhibition, and an industrial and architectural exhibition. He meets Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan.
: Delegation of Russia’s State Duma Committee on International Affairs, led by Committee head Konstantin Kosachev, visits Beijing. They are received by Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo and First Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo.
: Deputy Chief of Russian General Staff Aleksandr Rukshin and Assistant Chief of the Chinese General Staff Zhang Qinsheng hold 10th round of consultations between the two general staffs in Beijing. Rukshin later meets Chief of Staff Col. Gen. Liang Guanglie.
: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), makes a four-day visit to Russia, at the co-invitation of Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov and State Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov. In addition to meeting President Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, Wu joins the first meeting of the Russian-Chinese Committee on Cooperation between Russia’s State Duma and China’s NPC and the first meeting of the SCO parliamentary speakers in Moscow on May 30.
: PLA Chief of staff Col. Gen. Liang Guanglie visits Moscow and meets Russian General Chief of Staff Yury Baluyevsky, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and DM Ivanov, and secretary of the Russian Security Council Igor Ivanov. Liang also visits the GLONASS control and communications center at the Main Spacecraft Test and Control Center in Krasnoznamensk outside Moscow.
: Russian FM Sergei Lavrov travels to Beijing for an official visit after the SCO foreign ministerial meeting. Lavrov and Chinese FM Li Zhaoxing sign two documents to set up a working group to deal with migration issues and on constructing a bridge across the river Argun. He also meets Chinese President Hu.
: Foreign ministers meet in Shanghai to prepare for the SCO summit scheduled for mid-June in Shanghai.
: Delegation of the Federation Council of Russian Federal Assembly, led by Chairman Victor Glukhikh, visits China. The group was met by Jia Qinglin and Li Guixian, chairman and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
: Russian Vice Premier and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov visits Beijing to co-chair the Russian-Chinese Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation with Chinese counterpart Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and then joins the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers. Ivanov also met Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. A decision was made for the six SCO member states to conduct a joint anti-terrorist military exercise in Russia in 2007.
: Delegation of the Border Department of the Chinese Public Security Ministry, led by Deputy Chief of the Chinese Border Department Zhang Chongde, visits Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the Leningrad Region in Russia.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets in Moscow Cui Tiankai, assistant to the Chinese foreign minister, to discuss Iran’s nuclear issue.
: Chairman of the China’s Supreme People’s Court Xiao Yang visits Moscow and meets Head of the Russian Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev, State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, and Chairman of the Russian Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin.
: Sixth meeting of the council of the SCO regional counterterrorism institutions is held in Tashken to discuss 15 issues, including approving SCO’s operation for the period of 2007-09 and holding antiterror exercises in China and Kazakhstan in August.
: The commander-in-chief of Russia’s Ground Troops, Col. Gen. Aleksey Maslov, visits China on military cooperation. He holds talks in Beijing with the PLA’s chief of staff, Col. Gen. Liang Guanglie and Lt. Gen. Chen Xitao, deputy commander of the Beijing Military Area Command. He also visits the Nanjing military region and the Shanghai garrison, including the Chinese Ground Troops’ Command Academy in Nanjing and a tank combined unit.
: He Yong, a member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets in Beijing with Vice Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, who is also secretary of the general council of the United Russian party. They exchange views on increasing party-to-party exchanges and promoting state-to-state relations.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin pays a state visit to China as part of “Year of Russia” in China celebrations. Three oil and gas cooperation deals are signed; two pipelines are to be built from Eastern and Western Siberia to China and both states in a joint venture will develop the gas fields off of Sakhalin.
: Russian Federal Agency for Atomic Energy Sergey Kiriyenko pays a working visit to China, including a trip to a nuclear power station construction site.
: Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev visits China. In Beijing, he and PRC Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang sign a protocol for setting up a joint working group on combating cross-border crime and another document on cooperation between the law-enforcement bodies of the two countries for 2006-2007. Nurgaliyev is received by PRC Vice-President Zeng Qinghong.
: Russian Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev visits China, meets Zhou Shengxian, head of the Chinese Department for Environmental Protection, and signs a memorandum of understanding on joint water monitoring.
: Maj. Gen. Zhang Qinsheng, assistant chief of general staff of the PLA, meets in Beijing with visiting Lt. Gen. Buzhinskiy, vice director of the International Military Cooperation Bureau and director of the International Treaty and Law Bureau under the Russian Ministry of National Defense. The two sides exchange views on how to further enhance the Sino-Russian military exchanges and cooperation.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing meet in London for talks on the Iran nuclear issue. Also covered are the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), environment, and “Year of Russia” in China.
: Russian-Chinese trade in 2005 rises by 37.1 percent to $29.1 billion, making China Russia’s second largest trade partner after Germany.
: President Putin holds brief talks with Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong while both attend the inauguration of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
: President Vladimir Putin sends a New Year’s greeting to President Hu Jintao praising the “unprecedented level” of bilateral relations, and high expectations for the coming “Year of Russia” in China.
: President Putin congratulates President Hu on the New Year while expressing his belief that relations between Russia and China have entered a fundamentally new stage of development in 2005 and that the coming year of 2006, the Year of Russia in China, will open up new opportunities for Russia-China cooperation.
: Russia’s Transaero Airlines begins nonstop flights from Moscow to Sanya, China’s southernmost resort of Hainan Island, which hosted 20,000 Russian tourists, mainly from the Far East, in 2005.
: Officials from SCO law enforcement authorities and financial institutions meet in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent to discuss measures to cut funding for terrorist groups.
: National coordinators of the SCO member states meet in Beijing to discuss issues relating to reforming the SCO’s secretariat to enhance its functions, expand its competence, and increase the status of its leaders.
: President Putin and PM Wen meet in Kuala Lumpur. Putin reportedly “notes” efforts by China to contain a toxic chemical spill floating down river toward Russia. Putin and Wen agrees that the incident should not harm bilateral relations.
: Russian FM Lavrov meets with Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing in Kuala Lumpur during the 11th ASEAN Plus Three conference, before the first East Asia Summit.
: First Deputy PM Dmitri Medvedev visits Beijing as president of the organizing committee of the “Russia Year in China” program. He and his Chinese counterpart and Vice Premier Wu Yi discuss programs for the Russia Year in China in 2006 and the China Year in Russia in 2007. Medvedev later meets President Hu.
: The second Russian-Chinese-Kazakh oil forum opens in Beijing on the issues of the recovery, processing, and transportation of oil from Russia and Kazakhstan to China. Deputy head of the Federal Energy Agency (Rosenergo) Oleg Gordeyev heads the Russian delegation. Several hundred officials and business people from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, and other countries join the conference.
: First China-Russo Cooperative Narcotics Control Ministerial Meeting is held in Khabarovsk. Both nations agree to directly exchange information and coordinate operations against illicit drug activities.
: A hotline is set up between the Russian and Chinese environment protection agencies in border regions, according to Russian ambassador to China Sergei Razov who meets officials from China’s State Environmental Protection Administration .
: Presidents Putin and Hu meet on the sidelines of the APEC meeting. They discuss energy, trade, military-technology cooperation, SCO, and cultural exchanges.
: Foreign Ministers Lavrov and Li meet in Busan during the annual APEC meeting. They discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Middle East issues, the situation in Syria, and the Iran nuclear issue.
: Some 100 tons of benzene leaks into the Songhua River after an explosion at a chemical plant in China’s Jilin Province. The benzene slick flows downstream, passing Harbin (population 5 million) Nov. 23-26, entering the Heilong River (Amur for Russia) Dec. 15, and passing Khabarovsk (population 600,000) Dec. 22-27.
: Ministry of National Defense hosts a 10-day SCO Defense and Security Forum in Beijing. Participants include 26 military officers from Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as observers from Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran, and India. The forum discusses the international situation, regional security, antiterrorism cooperation, and the role and the future development of the SCO.
: Russian PM Fradkov visits China for the 10th regular meeting with Premier Wen. Fradkov also meets President Hu and NPC Chair Wu Bangguo.
: Col. Gen. Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, negotiates with the Chinese National Space Administration on cooperation in space. He joins PM Fradkov for the 10th regular meeting with Premier Wen on Nov 3-4.
: Russian Vice PM Alexander Zhukov arrives in Beijing. Zhukov and Chinese State Councilor Chen Zhili chair the sixth Session of the Sino-Russian Cooperation Committee on Education, Culture, Public Health, and Sports on Oct. 31, and with Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi the ninth Session of the Committee of the Sino-Russian Prime Ministers’ Meeting.
: Premier Wen Jiabao attends the fourth annual SCO Council of heads of government meeting in Moscow. Wen has Oct. 26 meeting with Putin.
: State Duma Deputy Andrei Kokoshin visits China to attend a conference on regional security and bilateral relations. Kokoshin also speaks at the Chinese Institute of International Strategic Research and meets Deputy Chief of Staff of the Chinese Army Xiong Guangkai, Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan, and Deng Rong.
: Russian FM Sergei Lavrov meets the SCO Secretary General Zhang Deguang prior to the Oct. 26 SCO prime ministers’ meeting in Moscow.
: Chinese FM Li talks over the phone with Russian FM Lavrov on the situation in Syria and Lebanon.
: President Putin and his wife meet with China-Russian Friendship Committee deputy chairman Deng Rong, Deng Xiaoping’s daughter.
: China and Russia hold second round of China-Russian Strategic Security Talks in Beijing. Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov meets President Hu, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, and Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo.
: Delegation of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) visits Russia, at the invitation of Russia’s Federation Council.
: Russia’s major aircraft producer Sukhoi opens office Beijing to provide better after-sale service of the company’s products in China.
: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan strongly condemns the terror attack in the city of Nalchik in Russia’s Caucasus region.
: Economic and trade ministers of SCO states meet in Dushanbe, Tajikistan to prepare for the SCO prime ministerial meeting in Moscow in late October.
: President Vladimir Putin sends a congratulatory message to President Hu Jintao on the 56th anniversary of the founding of the PRC.
: Law enforcement officials from the SCO member states meet in Tashkent to discuss compilation of a common database of terrorist, separatist, and extremist organizations.
: Former KMT Chairman Lien Chan conducts a six-day private visit to Russia.
: Russian Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov pays official visit to China to mark the initiation of regular parliamentary exchanges.
: The Far Eastern Institute of Russia’s Academy of Science holds a conference on the 40th anniversary of the founding of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
: China’s Deputy Chief of General Staff Xiong Guangkai and Deputy Chief of Russian General Staff Alexsandr Skvortsov hold ninth round of military consultations in Moscow. Xiong meets Chief of Russian General Staff Yuri Baluyevsky.
: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing on the sidelines of UNGA.
: Presidents Putin and Hu meet in New York City during 60th UN General Assembly (UNGA).
: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC, and Boris Gryzlov, president of the Russian State Duma, meet in New York City on the sidelines of the 2nd World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments.
: The subcommission on nuclear issues of the Russian-Chinese commission preparing regular meetings between the Russian and PRC prime ministers holds its ninth session in Moscow.
: Chairman of the Russian Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev visits Beijing to join the Congress on International Law. He meets President of China’s Supreme People’s Court Xiao Yang.
: Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan visits Russia for the 12th regular sessions of the intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation held in Moscow (Sept. 6) and Sochi in southern Russia (Sept. 8). Cao meets Russian PM Mikhail Fradkov in Moscow and Pres. Putin in Sochi on Sept. 7.
: Russian President Putin makes phone call to Hu, congratulating him on the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Hu praised the Soviet Red Army’s role in defeating Japan. They also discuss Russian-Chinese military exercises (Aug. 18-25).
: Chinese military delegation headed by the PLA Deputy Chief of the General Staff Ge Zhenfeng, starts official visit to Russia, Denmark, and Hungary.
: Russian-Chinese subcommission for research and technology cooperation hold ninth session in Moscow. A Russian press release said the program involves 172 joint projects.
: New Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov arrives in Beijing.
: China and Russia conduct their first joint military exercise, Peace Mission 2005 in China’s Shandong Peninsula with 2,000 Russian and 8,000 Chinese troops.
: Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Irkutsk Center at the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences conduct their first joint scientific expedition – the China-Russia Baikal Comprehensive Scientific Expedition 2005.
: China and Russia hold annual session of the sub-commission for trade and business cooperation responsible for the regular prime ministerial meeting.
: Operations group of the Russian Defense Ministry, headed by first deputy commander of the Russian Ground Troops Col. Gen. Vladimir Moltenskoy arrives in Qingdao to organize the joint military exercise Peace Mission 2005. The group also includes Russian Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Vladimir Fedorov.
: Gen. Zhang Li, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), meets in Beijing a Russian military goodwill delegation led by Commander of the Moscow Military District Gen. Pagin.
: Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin goes to Beijing to prepare for regular meetings between Russian and Chinese prime ministers. Issues include oil delivery to China, China’s investment in Moscow-St. Petersburg highway and port facilities, new cargo and passenger air routes, container shipments through Russia, etc.
: Fifth session of the Russian-Chinese subcommission on health care held in Dalian. Vyacheslav Prokhorov, head of the Russian Federal Agency for Health Care and Social Development, leads the Russian group. Cooperation in areas of fighting fake medicines to Russia protocol is signed, attracting Chinese investment in the production of high-tech medical equipment in Russia, Russia’s role in medical service at the Olympic Games, and maintaining a stable epidemiological situation in border regions.
: Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) meets Vladimir Zhirinovsky, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and vice chairman of the State Duma. Zhirinovsky also meets Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
: Qian Qichen, honorary Chinese chair of the Sino-Russian Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development (SRCFPD), visits Russia. He meets Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov and attends a ceremony for publishing the Russian version of his book Ten Accounts of Diplomacy at the Chinese Embassy.
: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds its annual summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, focusing on the issue of stability in Central Asia. India, Iran, and Pakistan are officially accepted as SCO observers.
: Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Xu Qiliang meets in Beijing with Director Shertsev of the Russian Army’s Corps of Engineers and his party.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao continues official visit to Russia with formal talks in the Kremlin July 1 after an informal dinner at Putin’s dacha on June 30.
: President Hu pays official visit to Russia. In addition to talks with Russian leaders and signing various documents including the “Joint Declaration on the International Order in the 21st Century,” Hu visits Novosibirsk, Russia’s third largest city.
: Col. Gen. Vladimir Moltenskoi, Russian Land Forces first deputy commander-in-chief, and Maj. Gen. Qian Lihua, deputy chief of the Foreign Affairs Chancellery of the Chinese Defense Ministry, sign status of forces agreement for joint exercise “Commonwealth-2005” on Aug. 18-26.
: Russian Federal Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov travels to Beijing for seventh meeting of intergovernmental commission for space cooperation.
: Russian and Chinese experts meet in Khabarovsk for the first round of negotiations on the demarcation of the eastern section of their border.
: The 16th Harbin Trade and Economic Fair concludes with contracts worth $3.96 billion. Over 7,000 Russian businessmen took part. China’s Vice Premier Wu Yi spoke.
: Speaker of the State Duma Lower House of the Russian Parliament Boris Gryzlov visits China at the invitation of NPC Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo. Gryzlov also meets with Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu. Gryzlov and Wu sign agreement to initiate a cooperation committee for annual regular exchange the NPC and the State Duma.
: Third forum on China-Russia regional cooperation and development takes place in Harbin. 300 government officials, experts, and businessmen from both countries attend.
: President Putin appoints deputy FM Sergei Razov as Russia’s new ambassador to China.
: Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan visits Irkutsk en route to St Petersburg to attend the second Russian-Chinese investment forum on June 9-10. He also visits Moscow and talks with Russian Vice Premier Alexander Zhukov. Seven projects ($1.7 billion) are agreed to during the forum.
: The fifth round of consultations on preparations for the first joint Russian-Chinese military exercise held in Vladivostok. They approve the concept and schedule of the drill and work on legal and international documents, as well as the status of forces agreement for Russian troops on Chinese territory.
: SCO holds annual foreign ministerial meeting in Astana. The decision is made to admit Iran, India, and Pakistan as SCO observers. They prepare for the SCO summit in Astana July 5-6.
: SCO holds second security councils’ secretaries session in Astana, Kazakhstan.
: Tripartite conference between foreign ministries of Russia, China, and India in Vladivostok, the fourth of this kind and first outside any multilateral context. Bilateral meetings also take place in Vladivostok. A joint communique is signed. On June 2, FM Lavrov and FM Li exchange ratifications of an additional agreement on the eastern part of Sino-Russian border signed during President Putin’s visit to China in October 2004.
: The Sixth Plenary Session of the Sino-Russian Committee on Friendship, Peace, and Development is held in Moscow. It adopts the committee’s work program for 2005, which includes 55 activities.
: Russian Motherland Party leader Dmitriy Rogozin visits Beijing and meets with Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. The Russian group also meets with officials of China’s State Council and the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
: President Hu Jintao meets with outgoing Russian Ambassador Igor Rogachev before the latter’s final departure for home May 21. Rogachev had been ambassador to China since 1992.
: St. Petersburg Gov. Valentina Matviyenko visits China to sign agreement on the construction of a multifunctional complex Baltic Pearl ($1.25 billion) in St. Petersburg. Five largest Shanghai companies controlled by the state will invest and construct the 180-hectare project. Matviyenko meets Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan.
: President Hu Jintao travels to Moscow to join more than 50 other state leaders for the May 9 celebration marking the 60th anniversary of Russian victory in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.
: Second Russian-Chinese seminar on unmanned aerial vehicles held in Beijing.
: Putin makes State of Nation speech.
: Chinese First Deputy FM Dai Bingguo visits Russia at the invitation of Russia’s First Deputy FM Valery Loshchinin. The two discuss bilateral relations, SCO, CIS, Korea, and the UN. Dai also meets with FM Sergei Lavrov, the president’s foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko, the president’s special representative for human rights Vladimir Lukin, and First Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Yuri A. Zubakov.
: CIS Executive Secretary Vladimir Rushaylo visits Beijing to deepen cooperation between CIS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in economic and security areas. Rushaylo meets with Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, and a protocol on mutual understanding and cooperation was signed.
: A delegation of the Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP), led by Maj. Gen. Xi Zhongchao, PAP’s deputy commander-in-chief, visits Russia at the invitation of the Russian Interior Ministry Forces (IMF). The group meets with Col. Gen. Nikolai Rogozhkin, IMF commander-in-chief, and visits IMF’s Central Museum, military units in IMF’s Moscow and Northwestern districts, and St. Petersburg.
: Russian presidential aide Viktor Ivanov visits China with a delegation of the presidential administration at the invitation of China’s Ministry of Personnel. He meets with State Councilor Hua Jianmin, head of the Organization Department of the CCP Central Committee He Guoqiang and Vice Premier Huang Ju.
: Former Russian Prime Minister Primakov and honorary chairman of the Russia-China Friendship Committee for Peace and Development visits China at the invitation of Chinese counterpart Qian Qichen.
: The SCO Council of National Coordinators meets in Beijing.
: Chinese FM Li holds telephone conversations with his Kazakh, Uzbek, and Tajik counterparts to discuss the situation in Kyrgyzstan and further development of the SCO.
: Chinese FM Li speaks via telephone to Russian FM Lavrov, exchanging views on Kyrgyzstan and reform of the UN.
: Russian Deputy FM Alexander Alexeyev holds consultations with China’s Deputy FM Wu Dawei and Assistant FM Li Hui over North Korea’s nuclear problem. Russian officials described the positions of Moscow and Beijing on this issue as “coinciding.”
: Russia and China reach cooperative agreements on 70 hi-tech projects at the Chinese-Russian hi-tech cooperation forum in Beijing, including energy conservation, environmental protection, and nanotechnology.
: Russian military delegation led by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Yury Baluyevsky pays formal friendship visit at the invitation of PLA Chief of Staff Liang Guanglie. The 3rd round of talks regarding the Commonwealth military exercise are held. Baluyevsky meets with DM Cao Gangchuan and Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Council Guo Boxiong, and later Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Baluyevsky says Russia is against any secessionist activities of “Taiwan independence” in any form and would stick to the “one China” policy.
: Chinese military delegation visits Moscow to coordinate the Russian-Chinese exercise. Participants decide that the exercise would take eight days in the second half of August and military observers from the SCO member states would be invited.
: Unified Energy System of Russia and the State Grid Corporation of China sign a memo in Beijing to further power cooperation between the two countries.
: Branch of Khabarovsk-based Chinese Consulate General opens in Vladivostok, ending need to travel 700km to Khabarovsk to resolve visa and business problems. China has become the Maritime Territory’s biggest trade partner with trade between the territory and China exceeding $829 million in 2004, the volume of Chinese investment reaching $9.5 million.
: Group of Chinese military officers arrives in Moscow to finalize detailed plans for Sodruzhestvo-2005 (Commonwealth-2005) to be held in the fall. The Chinese side later asked to delay the talks for “technical reasons.”
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds its annual foreign ministerial meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan. A joint communiqué is issued calling for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula as well as for peace and stability in the region.
: Russian Deputy FM Alexander Alexeyev meets in Moscow with Li Bingcai, executive deputy director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. They discuss China’s anti-secession law and “certain issues concerning Russian-Chinese relations and also the situation in East Asia.”
: Chinese FM Li Zhaoxing and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov exchange views on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue in a telephone conversation.
: Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan visits Russia as guest of Igor Ivanov, secretary of the Russian Security Council. During the visit they reach agreement to create and launch a Russian-Chinese inter-governmental consultation mechanism on security issues. Tang is also received by President Putin and PM Mikhail Fradkov.
: Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov visits Beijing and Shanghai. He meets in Beijing with Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
: Col. Gen. Vladimir Moltenskoi, Russian Land Forces deputy commander-in-chief, leads Russian delegation to Beijing to work on details of the joint Russian-Chinese military exercise in the fall.
: China-Russian trade for 2004 reached $21.23 billion, with a $3.03 billion surplus for Russia, 34.7 percent growth over 2003.
: Russian government gives long-awaited approval for a major oil pipeline to the Pacific, enabling exports to Japan and the U.S., and finally dropping the idea of a route to China.
: Faina (Epatcheva Vahaleva) Chiang, the Russian-born widow of the late Taiwan President Chiang Ching-kuo (1978-1988), dies in Taipei at 88. She met Chiang at the Ural Heavy Machinery Plant in Siberia where Stalin exiled the young Chiang to work after his father, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, purged leftists from China’s Nationalist Party in the late 1920s.
: Russian DM Ivanov visits Beijing to attend the 11th session of the bilateral intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation. The two sides work out details on 2005 joint military exercises and sign document on military-technology cooperation for five years. Ivanov meets Chinese Defense Minister Col. Gen. Cao Gangchuan and Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Council Col. Gen. Guo Boxiong and on Dec. 13, meets President Hu, who states that China-Russia strategic coordination “has attained an unprecedentedly high level.”
: SCO anti-drug agencies met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to coordinate efforts against narcotics and psychotropic substances.
: Representatives of the financial intelligence agencies of Russia, China, Tajikistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan meet in Moscow for the first session of the Eurasian group for counteracting money laundering and the funding of terrorism (EAG). The EAG’s key objectives are countering money laundering and the funding of terrorism. Observers include the UK, the U.S., Georgia, Italy, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, France, World Bank, IMF, the CIS, SCO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Economic Community, Interpol, and the UN office on drugs and crime.
: Three Chinese citizens – naval officers and Kuznetsov Military Naval Academy students – are attacked by eight Russian hooligans in St. Petersburg. Local police detain two.
: FM Li and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov hold talks in Vientiane, Laos during the eighth summit between ASEAN and China. They discuss Iraq and SCO.
: Dalai Lama visits Russia, the first time since 1992. In 1996, he passed through Russia on his way to Mongolia.
: President Putin holds a working meeting in Chile with President Hu during the 12th annual APEC meeting.
: Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party Liaison Department, starts visit to Russia at the invitation of the United Russia Party.
: Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Li Zhaoxing discuss Russian-Chinese relations on the telephone; topics included implementation of agreements reached at the Russian-Chinese summit in October 2004, and the Iranian nuclear issue.
: A jury in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk (Territorial) court finds physicist Valentin Danilov guilty of spying for China and embezzlement. The verdict is final and not open to appeal.
: Maj. Gen. Sergei Bunin, chief of staff of the Russian Interior Ministry Force (RIMF), leads a RIMF delegation to three cities in China (Beijing, Shanghai, and Guilin).
: China asks Russia for assistance in the construction of the fourth stage of the uranium enrichment plant in Lanzhou in Gansu Province, according to acting head of Russia’s Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Atomic Monitoring, Andrey Malyshev. In 1992, Russia and China signed a contract to build the plant, with the first three stages launched in 1998, 2000, and 2001.
: The Joint Supervision Group on disarmament consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, all members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), hold its 11th meeting in China. Since 1999, the group has met twice a year to supervise and implement an agreement on the reduction of military forces and confidence building along China’s 7,000-km-long border.
: First meeting of the Russian-Chinese Business Council held in Beijing, following the signing of the agreement on its establishment by co-chairmen of the Russian-Chinese Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development Leonid Drachevsky and China Council for the Promotion of International Trading (CCPIT) Wan Jifei. The meeting sets up 13 working groups in charge of basic lines of cooperation, including one for resolving business disputes.
: President Putin pays a state visit to China and holds separate talks with President Hu, National People’s Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo, and Premier Wen. Fourteen documents were signed including a border agreement to settle the 300-plus years of border/territorial disputes, a protocol on Russia’s entry into the WTO, a Joint Action Plan for 2005-2008, and a joint communiqué.
: The 2nd Russian-Chinese business conference held in Beijing. A framework agreement on cooperation in tourism, education and the services sector was signed.
: Russian President Putin sends letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao congratulating him on the 55th anniversary of the PRC’s founding and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Hu reciprocated with his message to Putin the next day. Russian and Chinese parliamentary leaders and premiers also exchanged greetings.
: Chinese Ambassador to Russia Liu Guchang gives reception for 800 guests to celebrate the 55th anniversary of establishment of the PRC and the 55th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations with Russia. He emphasizes that China-Russia relations at present are in the best period in history.
: Official cultural delegation from Tibetan Autonomous Region, led by Deputy Gov. Baimachilin, visits Russia with stopovers in Moscow and the Buddhist republic Kalmykia.
: SCO’s Premiers’ Council meet in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Among the signed papers were a joint communiqué and documents regarding economic cooperation, SCO’s budget for 2005, Regulations for SCO Budgetary Classification and Financial Rules, a Development Fund and a Business Council. SCO also launches website: www.sco-ec.gov.cn.
: Wen Jiabao pays first official visit to Russia as China’s premier. He met with President Putin and PM Fradko.
: Russian Ambassador to China Igor Rogachev suggests that SCO form a rapid reaction force in the near future.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi visits Russia to co-chair the eighth meeting of the committee for the regular meeting of the prime ministers of China and Russia.
: A 100-member delegation of Chinese youth visits Russia. A similarly sized Russian youth group will visit China in mid-October.
: SCO conference of foreign trade at the deputy ministerial level in Moscow.
: China provides $1.3 million worth of medical equipment and drugs for victims of the school siege in a secondary school in Beslan, northen Russia.
: A 42-member Taiwan business mission, led by Wu Rong-i, president of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research and vice chairman of the Taiwan-Russia Association, visit Russia to bolster Taiwan-Russian economic ties. The Taiwan group signs an agreement with the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development on Taiwan’s donation of $200,000 for the purchase of convertible X-ray inspection equipment.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao sends a message of condolence to Putin over the deaths of civilians in the subway explosion and hostage crisis in the country. FMs Li Zhaoxing and Sergei Lavrov also talk over the phone about the terrorist attacks in Russia, Middle East issues, and upcoming meetings between the two prime ministers and two heads of state.
: Russian presidential envoy in Siberia Leonid Vadimovich Drachevskiy visits China. He joined a meeting of the Russian-Chinese Friendship, Peace and Development Committee, meets Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi; Li Gui-xian, co-chairmen of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Ma Kai, Chairman of the State Committee for Affairs of Development and Reforms.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao sends a message of condolence over the crashes of two Russian passenger planes as a result of terrorist hijacking.
: The Chinese-Russian subcommission on energy held in Beijing. The two sides agreed to fulfill the earlier contracts on oil deliveries from Russia to China, including 6.5 million tons of oil by rail to China in 2004, 10 million tons by 2005, and to 15 million tons by 2006.
: Eighth meeting of the Russian-Chinese subcommission for nuclear issues held in Beijing. It focuses on Russia-assisted Tianwan nuclear power plant in its final stage, construction of a fast neutron reactor, a floating nuclear power plant, and cooperation in using nuclear power in space research.
: Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai visits Moscow for meetings with Russian Deputy PM Alexander Zhukov and Economic Trade and Development Minister German Gref.
: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds first Defense Security Seminar in Beijing; 16 military officers from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan attend.
: Russia and China sign contract to construct a communication cable from China through Russia to Europe with a planned capacity of 2.5 gigabits per second with the possibility of expansion to 300 gbps.
: Delegation of the United Russia Party (the pro-Kremlin party), visits China at the invitation of the Central Committee of the CCP.
: China notifies Russia of plans to test fire three ballistic missiles: a Dongfeng-31 inter-continental ballistic missile with an increased range and multiple warhead, a Dongfeng-21 medium-range missile, and a Julang-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile.
: Chinese military delegation, led by CMC Vice Chairman Col. Gen. Guo Boxiong, visits Russia. He meets with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, chief-of-staff Anatoly Kvashnin, and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov.
: Seventh Round of Russian-Chinese consultations on strategic stability held in Beijing, addressing issues of counter-terrorism and nonproliferation. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak and Chinese counterpart Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui chair the meeting. Baluyevskiy also joins.
: Russian FM Sergei Lavrov meets Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Jakarta.
: Chinese ambassador Liu Guchang informed that the consensus among Russian officials is that the Taishet-Nakhodka pipeline route is feasible, pending final decision in the fall of 2004.
: First deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Col. Gen. Yuriy Baluyevskiy, working visit to Beijing, preparing for visit by Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), Col. Gen. Guo Boxiong in early July.
: Military delegation from China’s Jilin Province visits Sakhalin as part of plan to implement cooperation agreement between the Pacific Border Guard Directorate of Russian Federal Security Service and China’s border guards’ department.
: SCO annual summit in Tashkent with a ceremony at the opening of antiterrorist center. Chinese and Russian presidents talk on the summit sidelines.
: Russian military conducts its largest exercise in 15 years, code-named Mobilnost-2004, in the Far East and border areas with China. A total of 5,000 servicemen and 600 pieces of hardware are involved. Russia notified China of the exercise.
: Meeting of economics and trade ministers of SCO member states in Tashkent produces memorandum and a protocol. China proposes a regional cooperation development fund, a business forum, and an SCO website. A working group is formed to promote development of transport and transit.
: Li and Lavrov talk over the phone on a UN Security Council resolution on Iraq.
: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress, arrives in Russia for a seven-day visit to four Russian cities (Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Moscow, and St. Petersberg). Wu meets with Putin, PM Mikhail Fradkov, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation Gergei Mironov, and Chairman of Russian State Duma Boris Cryzlov.
: Chinese Chief of General Staff Liang visits Russia for talks with Russian counterpart Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, DM Ivanov, Russian Security Council Secretary Ivanov, and Russian Vice Premier Zhukov.
: Hong Kong’s chief secretary Donald Tsang pays an official visit to Russia and meets with acting Russian FM Lavrov. They discuss bilateral cooperation in economics, transport, culture, and tourism.
: Russian First Deputy FM Eleonora Mitrofanova ends visit to China: she was invited by Deng Rong, the daughter of Deng Xiaoping.
: Hu sends condolences to Putin after an explosion on May 9 in the capital of the Chechen Republic. Hu reiterates China’s opposition to any form of terrorism.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao sends Putin a congratulatory message on his second presidential term.
: Executive Committee of SCO Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RATS) meets in Uzbek capital of Tashkent.
: Russian Deputy FM Sergey Razov and PRC Assistant FM Li Hui hold talks in Beijing to discuss “topical issues of international relationships.”
: Boris Gryzlov, chairman of the State Duma and leader of the One Russia party, holds talks with a delegation of the CCP headed by Wang Lequan, Political Bureau member and secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
: Russian Communist Party Chairman Gennady Zyuganov visits China and meets with Li Changchun, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CCP Central Committee.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing visits Moscow and meets DM Lavrov, President Putin, and Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov. Li joined the SCO conference of foreign ministers on April 22-23.
: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov visits China for talks with counterpart Col. Gen. Cao Gangchuan, Chairman of the Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin, Premier Wen Jiabao, Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission Col. Gen. Guo Boxiong, and Chief of the PLA’s General Staff Col. Gen. Liang Guanglie.
: Ninth Russia-China annual forum on inter-regional cooperation, dealing with economy, trade, and investments, held in Beijing.
: Delegation of Moscow government headed by Vice Mayor Vladimir Shantsev visits Beijing to strengthen contacts between Beijing and Moscow.
: China and Russia open first land fiber-optic cable via Mongolia. The 7,500-km, 622 MPS link supplements existing undersea cable and communication satellites.
: Premier Wen Jiabao sends a condolence message to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov over the April 10 mine blast in Siberia.
: Deputy FM Alexander Saltanov meets Chinese Ambassador Liu and stresses that “Russia is against Taiwan’s independence in any form,” and that Russia would not congratulate the elected Taiwan leaders by any means, nor would it send delegates to the “inauguration” ceremonies.
: Deputy FM Alexander Saltanov meets Chinese Ambassador Liu and stresses that “Russia is against Taiwan’s independence in any form,” and that Russia would not congratulate the elected Taiwan leaders by any means, nor would it send delegates to the “inauguration” ceremonies.
: Chinese Vice FM Dai Bingguo holds consultations in Beijing with first deputy FM Loshchinin on coordinating policies between CIS states and SCO members. Loshchinin also holds talks with SCO Executive Secretary Zhang Deguang, FM Li, and China’s State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, who supervises foreign policy.
: Chinese Vice FM Dai Bingguo holds consultations in Beijing with first deputy FM Loshchinin on coordinating policies between CIS states and SCO members. Loshchinin also holds talks with SCO Executive Secretary Zhang Deguang, FM Li, and China’s State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, who supervises foreign policy.
: FM Li initiates a phone call with Russian counterpart Lavrov. They touched upon “topical bilateral and international issues in the context of the forthcoming top level and high level contacts.”
: FM Li initiates a phone call with Russian counterpart Lavrov. They touched upon “topical bilateral and international issues in the context of the forthcoming top level and high level contacts.”
: President Hu and predecessor Jiang Zemin send messages to Putin on his reelection as president.
: Chinese special envoy and vice foreign minister Dai Bingguo visits Moscow and has separate meetings with Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and First Deputy Foreign Minister Loshchinin. Dai and the Russian officials discuss the Taiwan Strait situation and the Korean nuclear issue.
: President Hu and predecessor Jiang Zemin send messages to Putin on his reelection as president.
: Chinese special envoy and vice foreign minister Dai Bingguo visits Moscow and has separate meetings with Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and First Deputy Foreign Minister Loshchinin. Dai and the Russian officials discuss the Taiwan Strait situation and the Korean nuclear issue.
: President Hu sends telegram to Putin congratulating him on a landslide re-election. Hu also spoke with Putin on the phone, and they reportedly discuss Taiwan.
: China and Russia hold eighth round of military consultations in Beijing between deputy chief of the PLA general staff Xiong Guangkai and the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Col-Gen Yuriy Baluyevskiy. They discussed “issues which the military regards as sensitive … such as the military and political situation in the Asia-Pacific Region.” Baluyevskiy and the PLA’s Chief of the General Staff Liang Guanglie also hold staff-level talks. Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan also met with Baluyevskiy.
: President Hu sends telegram to Putin congratulating him on a landslide re-election. Hu also spoke with Putin on the phone, and they reportedly discuss Taiwan.
: China and Russia hold eighth round of military consultations in Beijing between deputy chief of the PLA general staff Xiong Guangkai and the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Col-Gen Yuriy Baluyevskiy. They discussed “issues which the military regards as sensitive … such as the military and political situation in the Asia-Pacific Region.” Baluyevskiy and the PLA’s Chief of the General Staff Liang Guanglie also hold staff-level talks. Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan also met with Baluyevskiy.
: SCO Executive Secretary Zhang Deguang visits the Uzbek capital Tashkent. The Moscow SCO summit in May 2003 decided to move the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-terror Center from Bishkek to Tashkent. The executive committee has begun in the Uzbek capital since November 2003.
: SCO Executive Secretary Zhang Deguang visits the Uzbek capital Tashkent. The Moscow SCO summit in May 2003 decided to move the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-terror Center from Bishkek to Tashkent. The executive committee has begun in the Uzbek capital since November 2003.
: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sends a congratulatory message to Mikhail Fradkov, who won confirmation as Russia’s new prime minister.
: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sends a congratulatory message to Mikhail Fradkov, who won confirmation as Russia’s new prime minister.
: Director of the Western Asia and North Africa department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Zhang Jung visits Moscow for talks with Deputy FM Losyukov.
: Director of the Western Asia and North Africa department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Zhang Jung visits Moscow for talks with Deputy FM Losyukov.
: Deputy FM Aleksandr Saltanov and Chinese ambassador Liu discuss the Taiwan issue in Moscow.
: Six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue in Beijing.
: Deputy FM Aleksandr Saltanov and Chinese ambassador Liu discuss the Taiwan issue in Moscow.
: Six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue in Beijing.
: Deputy Foreign Ministers Alexander Losyukov and Wang Yi hold talks in Beijing before the second round of six-party talks to be held in Beijing on Feb. 25-27.
: Deputy Foreign Ministers Alexander Losyukov and Wang Yi hold talks in Beijing before the second round of six-party talks to be held in Beijing on Feb. 25-27.
: Moscow police round up 300 Chinese business booths in the city’s “Emila” market and confiscate merchandise worth $30 million. Chinese embassy in Moscow presents notes to the Russian Foreign and Interior Ministries, requesting that Russian governmental agencies protect the interests of Chinese businessmen in Russia.
: Moscow police round up 300 Chinese business booths in the city’s “Emila” market and confiscate merchandise worth $30 million. Chinese embassy in Moscow presents notes to the Russian Foreign and Interior Ministries, requesting that Russian governmental agencies protect the interests of Chinese businessmen in Russia.
: President Hu Jintao sends a message of condolence to Putin after the Moscow metro bombing, which killed 39 people and wounded more than 130 others. Li also sends a message of condolence to his counterpart Igor Ivanov.
: President Hu Jintao sends a message of condolence to Putin after the Moscow metro bombing, which killed 39 people and wounded more than 130 others. Li also sends a message of condolence to his counterpart Igor Ivanov.
: President Putin tells China’s ambassador to Russia Liu Guchang that relations with China are a key priority in Russia’s current foreign policy and that “Our relations with China have never enjoyed such a high level of mutual confidence and understanding.”
: After 10 years of negotiations, Russia’s Transaero Airlines launches a direct chartered flight between Taipei and Moscow to meet growing tourism demand. The Russian company provides two flights per month with an additional flight during the Lunar New Year festival.
: After 10 years of negotiations, Russia’s Transaero Airlines launches a direct chartered flight between Taipei and Moscow to meet growing tourism demand. The Russian company provides two flights per month with an additional flight during the Lunar New Year festival.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Safonov and his Chinese counterpart Sheng Guofang hold the fourth session of the Russian-Chinese antiterrorist working group. A joint statement was issued.
: SCO holds ad hoc foreign ministers’ meeting in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the SCO Secretariat. Zhang Deguang, former Chinese vice foreign minister and former ambassador to Russia, is appointed first secretary general of the SCO.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Safonov and his Chinese counterpart Sheng Guofang hold the fourth session of the Russian-Chinese antiterrorist working group. A joint statement was issued.
: SCO holds ad hoc foreign ministers’ meeting in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the SCO Secretariat. Zhang Deguang, former Chinese vice foreign minister and former ambassador to Russia, is appointed first secretary general of the SCO.
: FM Li Zhaoxing meets with Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov in Beijing to plan for bilateral ties, regional, and international issues in 2004. They decide to designate 2004 as “Sino-Russian Youth Friendship Year.”
: FM Li Zhaoxing meets with Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov in Beijing to plan for bilateral ties, regional, and international issues in 2004. They decide to designate 2004 as “Sino-Russian Youth Friendship Year.”
: China’s Ambassador at large Ning Fukui and director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s First Department of Asia Yevgeny Afanasyev holds talks on the North Korean nuclear issue in Moscow.
: China’s Ambassador at large Ning Fukui and director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s First Department of Asia Yevgeny Afanasyev holds talks on the North Korean nuclear issue in Moscow.
: The Krasnoyarsk regional court in Russia acquits scientist and former chief of the Krasnoyarsk Thermal Physics Center Valentin Danilov, accused of spying for China.
: China’s Parliament approves “Treaty on the Transfer of Convicted Criminals between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.”
: Russia and China held in Beijing the seventh round of talks about the Russian-Chinese agreement on border regulations.
: Presidents Putin and Hu talk on the phone. They stress that military-technical cooperation “is an important component of strategic partnership between Russia and China.” They also discuss Iraq and Korea.
: Minister of Defense Cao travels to Russia to attend Russian-Chinese intergovernmental commission on the military-technical cooperation. A working protocol was signed on bilateral military-technical cooperation for 2004 with a total sales value of more than $2 billion. Putin and Prime Minister Kasyanov meet Cao Dec. 18.
: Maj. Gen. Boris Shtokolov, head of the International Cooperation Directorate of the Russian Interior Ministry, visits Beijing and signs a cooperation protocol with China’s Ministry of Public Security for 2004-2005.
: The Chinese Monetary Society and the Association for Banks in Russia sponsor second meeting of the China-Russia financial cooperation forum in Beijing. More than 200 people attend. Agreement is signed to further bilateral cooperation in banking.
: Eleven Chinese students killed, 40 wounded and two missing in a fire in a dormitory of the Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University in Moscow.
: Col. Gen. Vladimir Pronichev, the first deputy director of the Russian Federal Security Service and chief of the Border Service, visits China for talks with Chinese officials of the Public Security Ministry and the Chinese Border Service. He meets Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and representatives of the General Staff of the PLA.
: Director of Russian Foreign Ministry’s 1st Asia department Yevgeniy Afanasyev holds talks with counterpart Fu Jing in Beijing to prepare for second round of six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear problem. The two sides were said to have positions that “virtually coincide or are very close both on strategic and tactical objectives.”
: A three-country consortium (Russian, Chinese, and South Korean) concludes three-year feasibility study on the $11 billion project for transporting gas from eastern Siberia to the Korean Peninsula through China and the Yellow Sea. A final decision is expected in 2004.
: Delegation of Moscow policemen, led by deputy head of Moscow Main Interior Directorate Aleksandr Ivanov, visits Beijing.
: China’s new ambassador to Russia, Liu Guchang, arrives in Moscow.
: Kung Xianming, head of Shanghai Public Security Office, visits St. Petersburg with a group of public security specialists. Talks focus on illegal migration, drug and weapons contraband, as well as economic and tax crimes.
: 100 young Russian scientists join the “Forum of Young Chinese and Russian Scholars” in Beijing.
: Andrei Illarionov participates in a two-day conference of the World Economic Forum in Beijing.
: Russian and Chinese Nuclear Societies sign agreement to expand cooperation in nuclear energy and research, including the construction of nuclear power plants.
: Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan meets with Russian presidential economic advisor Andrey Illarionov in Beijing.
: SCO’s Council of National Coordinators meets in Tashken. Agreement reached on the distribution of posts in the SCO Secretariat and Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RAS) according to contributions to the SCO budget. SCO Secretariat in Beijing and the RAS in Tashkent are to be fully functional Jan. 1, 2004.
: Russia and China hold in Beijing the third meeting of the bilateral working group on scientific and technical cooperation in electronic-information industry. They discuss cooperation in radar techniques, earth satellite navigation systems, laser, medical equipment, communications systems household electrical appliances, and software.
: Putin holds talks with Hu Jintao during the annual APEC meeting in Bangkok.
: FM Li telephones Russian and French foreign ministers to exchange views on the UN Security Council’s new draft resolution on Iraq.
: Deputy FM Yuri Fedotov and his Chinese counterpart Shen Guofang discussed by telephone how to cooperate in the UN on Iraq.
: Putin meets with departing Chinese Ambassador Zhang Deguang, describing Zhang as “a perfect specialist and a friend to our country.” Zhang will become the SCO executive secretary.
: Vice FM Wang Yi holds consultations in Moscow with Russian counterpart Alexander Losyukov on Asian issues, including the Korean nuclear issue.
: FM Li Zhaoxing exchanges views with Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov over the phone on bilateral ties, the Korean nuclear issue, and Iraq.
: Konstantin Pulikovskiy, presidential envoy to the Far East Federal District, visits China. He meets with Deputy FM Dai Bingguo, Vice Premier Wu Yi, and Li Guixian, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in Beijing to discuss economic cooperation, investment, border trade, and immigration.
: China’s Defense Minister Cao meets in Beijing with Mikhail Dmitriyev, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister and head of the Russian Committee for Military and Technological Cooperation with Foreign Countries and PM Kasyanov.
: President Putin said in Columbia University speech that he would find “a mutually acceptable solution” to organize Dalai Lama’s visit to Kalmykia (Russian constituent republic with a mainly Buddhist population).
: PM Kasyanov visits Beijing to attend the eighth regular meeting of heads of government of the two countries.
: Russia Foreign Ministry decides not to issue an entry visa for the Dalai Lama for reasons of “national interests” and “international commitments,” such as the Russia-China Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation. The Dalai Lama visited Russia several times between 1982 and 1992 but was denied an entry visa in 2001 and 2002.
: SCO prime ministers meet in Beijing, where they sign six documents regarding economic cooperation, SCO budget for the year 2004, an agreement on the operation of the antiterrorism institution, and a joint communiqué.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi and Russian Deputy PM Viktor Borisovich Khristenko hold seventh meeting of the Committee for the Regular Meeting of the Prime Ministers of China and Russia. They agree that Russia would export 4.5 million to 5.5 million tons of oil to China from 2004 to 2006.
: Russian and Chinese Public Health Ministries sign a cooperation program in Beijing after the fourth Session of the China-Russia Cooperation Committee on Education, Culture, Health, and Sports co-chaired by the Russian Vice-Premier Galina Karelova and Chinese State Councilor Chen Zhili. Four agreements are signed including one regarding sharing virus samples to study infectious diseases such as SARS.
: A high-level Chinese government delegation, led by Ma Kai, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, visits Russia to lobby for construction of the Angarsk-Daqing oil pipeline.
: The fifth session of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development meets in Beijing and is co-chaired by Li Guixian, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Russian President’s Representative to the Siberian federal district Leonid Drachevsky.
: SCO foreign ministers meeting held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
: The Russian Interior Ministry hosts a delegation of China’s armed police, led by Lt. Gen. Chen Chuankuo, for a four-day visit.
: China and Russia hold fourth meeting of the astronavigation sub-committee with the Joint Commission for the Regular Meetings of Heads of Government of China and Russia in Beijing; chaired by Luan Enjie, director general of the China National Space Administration, and Yuri N. Koptev, director general of the Russia National Aviation and Space Agency.
: The Russian-Chinese sub-commission on trade and economic cooperation meets Beijing. Russian Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Vladimir Karastin and China’s Deputy Commerce Minister Liu Fuyuan chair the session.
: Russian-China bilateral working commission on transportation meets in Shanghai. The sides deal with issues regarding automobile, ocean, river, rail, and air transport, including unifying the port charges for Russian and Chinese vessels in Amur River ports, opening a new transport corridor from China to Russia, and increasing licenses for Russian international auto carrier.
: Russian Energy Minister Igor Yusufov informs China that it will postpone the session of the subcommittee for energy cooperation of the intergovernmental commission scheduled to be held in Moscow Aug. 27-29. In mid-June, Prime Minister Kasyanov announces the decision regarding the Russian-China oil line would be made in September.
: FM Igor Ivanov talks by telephone with FM Li Zhaoxing on the Korean issue.
: China stages “Week of China” in St. Petersburg, a 300-member delegation offers Chinese folk music shows, acrobatic performance, model shows, photo exhibitions, and other cultural activities.
: Russian military stage largest exercises in 15 years in the Far East under the leadership of Navy Commander in Chief Vladimir Kuroyedov. The exercises involve 70,400 servicemen and civilians, 61 ships, and 72 aircraft and helicopters to cope with crisis and conflict on the Korean Peninsula that results in a large number of Korean refugees to Russia. Japan, ROK, and U.S. ships and aircraft participated and China sent observers.
: Chinese Minister of Commerce Lu Fuyuan visits Russia and holds talks with Russian Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref.
: Five member states (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conduct a joint antiterrorist military exercise “Interaction-2003.” Uzbekistan did not take part. Col. Gen. Alexander Baranov, commander of Russia’s Volga-Urals Military District and head of the Russian military delegation, visits Beijing after the exercise and meets with China’s Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan.
: Russian Federation Council (Upper House) speaker Sergei Mironov visits Beijing, at the invitation of Wu Bangguo, chairman of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC); meets President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao.
: President Putin receives Deng Rong, deputy chairwoman of the China Association for International Friendly Contacts, deputy chairwoman of the China-Russian Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development, and daughter of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. She visited Moscow to present the Russian version of the second volume of her book: My Father Deng Xiaoping in the Cultural Revolution – Years of Tests.
: The seventh meeting of the Russian-Chinese intergovernmental commission for nuclear issues was held in Moscow, chaired by Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev and his counterpart Zhang Yuchuan, chairman of Chinese National Defense Science, Technology, and Industry Committee. The two sides discussed issues regarding cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including in the areas of experimental fast reactor, nuclear power units for spacecraft, and floating nuclear power plants.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao sent condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the terrorist bombing incident on July 5 at Tushino Airport in Moscow. Hu reiterated China’s firm opposition to terrorism.
: China’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo held consultations on the North Korean nuclear program in Moscow with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov. Dai also met with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
: Bilateral trade increased 25 percent in the first six months of 2003, reaching $6.8 billion, with a $2.6 billion surplus for Russia.
: China and Russia agree to jointly survey oil and natural gas resources in their border areas. Scientists from China’s Heilongjiang Province and Russia’s Primorskiy Kray will make a separate survey within their territorial land some 200 kilometers away from the border according to a common standard method. A joint expert panel will coordinate the survey.
: Chinese doctors, microbiologists, and infection experts arrive in Russia to research SARS. They will work in Russia until July 7; Russian scientists will work in China from July 10.
: SCO Council of National Coordinators meets in Dushanbe to discuss budget and activities of SCO permanent agencies, the secretariat and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Center.
: Russian and Chinese foreign ministers hold talks in Phnom Penh during ASEAN Regional Forum annual meeting.
: China’s Defense Ministry notifies Russia of three ballistic missile test launches planned for June. A Dong Feng-31 intercontinental missile, a Dong Feng-21 middle-range missile and a Ju Lang-2 submarine missile are to be tested.
: Eight Russian teenagers attack and rob a Chinese embassy counselor in western Moscow.
: Russia’s Sevmash defense industry shipyards in Severodvinsk begin to construct two Kilo–class diesel submarines for China’s Navy to be completed by 2005, part of May 2002 contract for eight diesel submarines for China.
: Russian Defense Minister Ivanov holds talks with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan in Moscow.
: Chinese President Hu visits Russia on his first foreign trip as president. Hu conducts state visit to Russia (May 26-28), attends third SCO summit (May 29), and joins St. Petersburg’s tricentennial celebration (May 30-31).
: Russian Il-76 cargo plane lands in Beijing with 30 tons of medicine and equipment ($1.33 million) from the Russian Ministry for Civil Defense and Emergencies to assist China’s anti-SARS effort.
: Deputy FM Yang Wenchang visits Moscow to coordinate Chinese and Russian positions on a UN Security Council resolution on postwar Iraq.
: Russian FM Ivanov and Chinese FM Li discuss the Iraqi issue by phone and agree the UN should play an important role in postwar Iraq.
: Russian President Putin sends condolences to President Hu after death of the crew of Submarine 361.
: SCO foreign ministers meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan to finalize documents for heads of state meeting in late May in Moscow. They also discuss issues regarding SCO organization, Afghanistan, Iraq, regional security, and economic cooperation. China’s ambassador to Russia Zhang Deguang is approved as SCO secretary general. Russian FM Igor Ivanov and Chinese FM Li discuss preparations for first visit to Russia by Chinese President Hu in May.
: FM Li talks on the phone with Russian counterpart Ivanov about the humanitarian situation in Iraq and urges a peaceful solution to the Iraq issue within the UN framework. Both sides call for a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear issue.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov consults in Beijing with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Guangya on the Iraq problem. The two sides issue a joint statement calling for the end of the hostility. Chinese FM Li Zhaoxing meets Fedotov.
: SCO national coordinators complete preliminary work on the formation of the regional antiterrorist structure (RATS) in Kyrgyzstan. This included the definition of the work procedure, financing, and a mechanism for launching the RATS. Its headquarters will be in Bishkek (the Kyrgyz capital) and the secretariat in Beijing.
: SCO experts meeting on emergency responses held in Beijing to draft a pact on mutual help in case of emergency, which is to be signed in the autumn.
: Russian and Chinese Foreign Ministers Ivanov and Li call for an immediate end to military actions in Iraq. The foreign ministers said that “only the UN Security Council can make decisions about restoration of Iraq and settlement of the Iraqi problem in line with UN Security Council resolutions.” Moscow and Beijing “will make vigorous efforts to bring this about.”
: President Putin congratulates Hu Jintao on his election to the Chinese presidency. The two leaders discussed Russian-Chinese relations.
: China’s new Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Russian FM Ivanov talk on the phone about Iraq.
: After years of feasibility studies (since 1994), Russian government makes final, and compromised, decision to build the Angarsk-Nakhodka oil pipeline to the Pacific port of Nakhodka (for Japan) with a spur line to China’s city of Daqing (North-Eastern China).
: Russia’s First Deputy Minister for Atomic Energy Igor Borokov signs protocol with Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics to cooperate in the field of laser technologies and creation of electro-physical installations.
: The Interfax-China information agency, a member of the Interfax Group, launches new real-time information product: the China News Russian-language news-wire, including: Interfax China IT&Telecom Report; Interfax China Metals Report Weekly; Interfax China Energy Report Weekly; Interfax China Business Report Weekly; Interfax China Business News. All are created by Interfax journalists and editors in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Moscow.
: SCO’s National Coordinators Council holds a regular meeting in Beijing. The meeting discusses preparations for SCO’s next summit and the setup and operation of the permanent steering bodies of the organization – the working secretariat in Beijing and the Region Anti-Terrorist Organization in Bishkek. No agreement is reached on SCO enlargement.
: Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov visits China at the invitation of FM Tang. Ivanov meets with Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao. Ivanov and Tang issue joint communiqués regarding the Iraqi and Korean crises.
: Presidents Putin and Jiang Zemin speak over the phone and exchange opinions on Iraq. Both support continuing inspections in Iraq to fulfill UNSC Resolution 1441 and finding a diplomatic solution for the Iraq problem.
: Chinese FM Tang Jiaxuan and Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov hold talks at the UN on bilateral relations, tensions over Iraq, and the Korean Peninsula.
: Shanghai Cooperative Organization (SCO) coordinators meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan to discuss SCO financial problems and its rules/regulations.
: Russian Presidential Special Envoy and Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Losyukov travels to Beijing (Jan. 17-18 and 21-22) and Pyongyang (Jan. 18-21) following the DPRK Jan. 11 decision to pull out of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Vice Foreign Minister Yang Wenchang met with Losyukov during his stopovers Jan. 17 and 21.
: Russian Aerospace Agency First Deputy General Director Valery Voskoboinikov reveals that Russia and China are setting up working groups for designing, assembling, and delivering civil aviation equipment.
: Putin signs the federal law ratifying the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism adopted by the State Duma on Dec. 20, 2002 and approved by the Federation Council on Dec. 27, 2002.
: Alexander Yakovenko, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry Department of Information and the Press, hold talks with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Guchang for cooperation in the field of information exchange and news service for the general public.
: Russian-China bilateral trade in 2002 totaled $11.93 billion, up 11.8 percent from 2001. Russian exports rose 5.7 percent to $8.41 billion and imports were up 29.8 percent to $3.52 billion. Machinery, including military hardware, was Russia’s biggest export to China, accounting for a 19.6 percent share and totaling $1.5 billion.
: Russian-Chinese trade in 2002 is estimated to set a new record of $12 billion, compared with $10.7 billion for 2001.
: President Jiang sends a message of condolence to President Putin for the victims of the deadly blasts at the Chechen government building on Dec. 27.
: Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov and his Chinese counterpart Tang talk on the phone, calling on the United States and North Korea to de-escalate mutual accusations and to resume dialogue. The ministers were in favor of a nonnuclear status for the Korean Peninsula, the settlement of all disputes via peaceful means, and negotiations.
: President Putin phones Chinese leader Hu Jintao, congratulating him on his 60th birthday.
: SCO holds its third experts conference in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, to discuss the issue of setting up a regional antiterrorism center. A preliminary agreement decides that China and Russia will each provide 32–38 percent of the center’s expenses and the rest of the budget will be shared by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Russia and China would provide most of its 40 staff members as well as the two deputy directors, while a representative of Kyrgyzstan will be the center’s first director. The center could start working in the fall 2003.
: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov reportedly instructs the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry to conduct talks with the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics on possible cooperation in the sphere of high-density energy physics. The initiative of the talks came from the Russian side and is being coordinated with the Foreign Ministry and other federal executive institutions.
: A delegation of the Russian Interior Ministry, led by Deputy Interior Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Interior Troops Gen. Vyacheslav Tikhomirov, tours China at the invitation of the Command of the People’s Armed Police Forces of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.
: Deputy Chief of Russia’s General Staff Col.-Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky and his Chinese counterpart Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of the PLA’s General Staff hold in Beijing the sixth round of consultations. The two sides discuss a possible joint SCO antiterrorist exercise in 2003 and some military units along SCO border areas. They also discuss Iraq, North Korea, and missile defense issues. Baluyevsky meets with Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian the same day.
: Russian State Duma expresses doubts about the legality of the China National Petroleum Corporation’s (CNPC) participation in bidding for the Russian oil firm Slavneft. CNPC withdrew the next day.
: Russian President Putin pays his second official visit to China. Among the documents signed during the visit were a joint statement and several others including a 10-year credit line of $200 million to be opened for Russian imports from China.
: Chairman of Russia’s Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev starts the official visit to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xiao Yang. Chinese President Jiang Zemin met with Lebedev Nov. 26.
: A 40-member trade mission from Taiwan opens a trade exhibition in Moscow. The trade mission toured the Moscow Chamber of Commerce before proceeding to the Czech Republic, Poland, and Ukraine.
: Foreign Minister Tang joined the SCO foreign ministers forum in Moscow to work on the SCO’s coordinating mechanism (a secretariat based in Beijing and the headquarters of the regional antiterrorist organization in Bishkek). An interim document was adopted to regulate relations among the SCO member states, other countries, and international organizations. Tang briefed his Russian counterpart Ivanov of the CCP’s 16th Congress and the two discussed Putin’s official visit to China in early December. Putin met Tang the same day.
: President Putin sends message of congratulations to General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Hu Jintao on his election to this post. Putin’s message noted with “satisfaction” regarding “the continuity and consistency of China’s foreign policy course and the course of development of relations with Russia.”
: Two Russian companies – the Sirocco Aerospace International leasing company and the Aviastar-SP aircraft building plant – sign a contract to build five Tu-204-120 aircraft ($30 million apiece) for Chinese carriers to be delivered before the end of 2003. China also signed an option for the construction of 10 more aircraft of this kind to be equipped with Rolls Royce engines.
: President Jiang Zemin met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who represents Putin at the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico. Putin canceled his trip because of the hostage crisis.
: Chinese President Jiang strongly condemns the Moscow hostage seizure.
: Foreign Ministers Igor Ivanov and Tang Jiaxuan meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Los Cabos, Mexico. Tang expresses shock and strong condemnation of the hostage-taking terrorist incident in Moscow.
: President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Osipov meets in Beijing with Li Peng, chairman of the Chinese National People’s Congress.
: Georgy Poltavchenko, Russian president’s envoy to the Central Federal District, led a large Russian business group for the 92nd China Export Commodity Fair in Guangzhou. The 100-member delegation included 18 state governors of Russia’s Central Federal District. China’s Premier Zhu Rongji met with the group in Beijing on Oct. 18.
: Mikhail Lesin, Russian minister of press, television and mass media communications, began his first official visit to China for the first meeting of the working group on cooperation in the mass media – a permanently operating body of the bilateral commission on cooperation in public education, culture, public health and sport. Lesin met Chinese Vice Premier Li Lanqing in Beijing the next day. A two-year agreement on cooperation in television and radio broadcasting was signed.
: Member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held an International Forum on Investment and Development in Beijing. Russian Vice Minister of Energy Valentin Shelepov talked about three pipeline projects including two for oil (Siberia to China’s Dalian and Russia’s Nakhodka area-Pacific coast) and one for natural gas pipeline (from east Siberia to northeast China).
: President Jiang calls President Putin to exchanged opinions on bilateral relations. The two sides agreed that China and Russia should further strengthen communication, coordination, and cooperation.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates Chinese President Jiang Zemin on the People’s Republic of China’s 53rd anniversary.
: Head of the International Relations Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Dai Bingguo conducts five-day visit to Russia for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov, Russian Presidential Economic Adviser Andrei Illarionov and Russian Association of Entrepreneurs Organizations head Sergei Borisov.
: Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan meet in New York during the 57th session of the UN General Assembly and discuss preparations for President Putin’s Dec. 1-3 state visit to China.
: SCO issues a joint statement on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. It calls for the new concept of international security under the principles of mutual confidence and equality as well as the full coordinating role of the United Nations for international peace and security.
: Trade officials from the six SCO member states assemble at Xiamen in southeast China for the SCO investment forum held at the sixth China International Fair for Investment and Trade.
: A high-level Taiwan delegation led by Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party completes its “successful” and “breakthrough” visit to Russia. Chang arrived in Vladivostok in his capacity as chairman of Taipei-Russia Exchange Association and as the head of a 27-member delegation to attend the 2002 APEC forum’s International Investment Expo.
: Taiwan recognizes Mongolia.
: Taiwan’s China Airlines launches a direct link between Taipei and Moscow. The Taiwan airline carries an 11-member of Russian journalists who returned to Russia Sept. 1 with Russia’s Transaero air carrier’s first flight to Taiwan (Aug. 31–Sept. 1). Regular Russia-Taiwan flights will be launched by the end of the year.
: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov visits China for the seventh prime ministerial meeting with his Chinese counterpart Zhu Rongji Aug. 22. They discussed issues of trade, energy cooperation, military, and technical ties. A final communiqué and three documents are signed by the two prime ministers. After the Shanghai meeting, Kasyanov flew to Beijing to meet President Jiang Aug. 23.
: Russian Vice Premier Viktor Khristenko and Chinese State Councilor Wu Yi hold the sixth session of the Russian-Chinese commission in Shanghai. A protocol was signed to prepare for a regular prime ministers meeting on Aug. 22.
: Russian President Putin extends birthday greetings to Chinese leader Jiang, who is described as “a longtime friend of the Russian people” and who “made an invaluable contribution” to the friendship of the two countries.
: The inter-ministerial working group for the formation of a regional antiterrorist center of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds its first meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. SCO comprises, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
: Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov hold talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Brunei. They discuss Korea, Iraq, Taiwan, and Putin’s visit to China at the year end. Both call for the UN Security Council to take the lead in settling the issue of Iraqi weapons proliferation.
: Chinese delegation tours Russia for science and business cooperation. It includes 62 representatives from 10 central and regional state enterprises and 27 research centers, including China’s leading shipbuilding, nuclear energy, aerospace and defense industry corporations, the research institute of defense industry, and major enterprises of China.
: Taiwan-Russian Association inaugurated to promote trade and investment between Taiwan, Russia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Safonov and the Chinese First Deputy Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing conclude in Moscow the second meeting of the Russian-Chinese Working Group on struggle against international terrorism.
: Russian President Putin and Chinese President Jiang exchange congratulatory messages for the first anniversary of the “Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.”
: Russian Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo visits China and meets with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Defense Minister Chi Haotian, acting State Security Minister Gen Huichang, and Public Security Minister Jia Chunwang.
: A high-level trade delegation from Taiwan ends a 25-day fact-finding visit to Russia. Its members included executives of Taiwan’s leading enterprises and officials from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Council for Economic Planning and Development, and the Presidential Office.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao confirmed that Chinese and Russian signal units would conduct a joint exercise along the China-Russia border in mid-August in China’s Inner Mongolia. Liu noted that this was the agreement in 1994 when the two sides signed an agreement on the prevention of dangerous military activities.
: Russia Nuclear Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev visits Beijing with a delegation of nuclear experts to attend the sixth meeting of the Russian-Chinese commission on cooperation in the nuclear energy field.
: Chinese Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng visits Russia and holds talks with his Russian counterpart Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and Russian Central Bank President Sergei Ignatyev.
: The bilateral committee on science cooperation under the Joint Commission for the Regular Meetings of Heads of Government of China and Russia convenes in Harbin, China. The two sides discussed cooperation between the two countries’ national research institutes and former military technology.
: Fu Quanyou, chief of General Staff of the Chinese military meets Victor Chechevatov, president of the Military Institute of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in Beijing.
: Russia and China submit a joint proposal to the Conference on Disarmament for a new international treaty to ban weapons in outer space.
: Interior Minister Gryzlov holds talks with Chinese State Council Lo Gan and Chinese Public Security Minister Jia Chunwang in Beijing. Two documents were signed: cooperation in border districts and a protocol on interaction between the two ministries in 2002-2003.
: Zhou Guangzhao, deputy chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and president of the All-China Federation for Science, leads a group of Chinese scientists to Moscow to boost scientific cooperation.
: Li Changchun, member of the CCP Politburo and Guangdong party secretary, visits Moscow and meets with Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and Chairman of the State Duma Seleznyov.
: Russian State Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov meets in Moscow with President of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Li Tieying.
: Russia’s FSB intelligence agency (formerly KGB) arrests a 39 year-old Russian citizen suspected of spying for China in the country’s Far Eastern region. It is reported that several other residents and servicemen in Russia’s Maritime territory also provided secret information to China.
: Officers of the Russian Far East Border Agencies and the Chinese Heilongjiang Province meet in Blagoveschensk.
: Chinese State Council member Wu Yi and head of the China National Petroleum and Natural Gas Corporation Ma Fucai meet Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko in Harbin to discuss major cooperation projects in the fuel and energy sector.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgii Mamedov and director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s department of arms control Liu Jie hold talks in Moscow.
: Chinese military delegation visits Russian Maritime Territory and holds talks on cooperation with the Pacific Regional Department of the Russian Federal Border Service.
: SCO summit is held in St. Petersburg.
: Putin and Jiang Zemin meet at the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence building measures in Asia, which includes Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Palestine, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan in the Kazakh capital of Alma-Ata. In their effort to mediate the India-Pakistani conflict, Putin and Jiang meet separately with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
: Russian Minister for Transport Sergei Frank and Chinese Minister of Railways Fu Zhihuan sign protocol for cooperation in water and ground transport services in St. Petersburg.
: Ivanov holds talks with President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji, and DM Chi in China. He also participates in the ninth meeting of the Russian-Chinese intergovernmental commission on military cooperation.
: Chinese Public Security Minister Jia Chunwang holds talks in Moscow with Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov. They work on several documents on strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism, transborder crime, drug smuggling, and illegal migration.
: Heads of economic agencies of SCO states hold first ministerial meeting in Shanghai to discuss economic cooperation. China’s Vice Premier Qian Qichen meets the group on May 29.
: Chinese Deputy Culture Minister Meng Xiaosi participates in the second meeting of the Sino-Russian subcommission on cultural ties at the Russian Culture Ministry in Moscow.
: PRC and Russian trade ministers Shi Guangsheng and German Gref participate in a session of the Russian-Chinese Subcommission on Economic Cooperation in Moscow.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov reveals that Russia had proposed the idea of a regional antiballistic missile defense system encompassing Russia, China, the U.S., and Japan, with chances for other countries to join, at a Russian-Japanese conference in St. Petersburg.
: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and his Chinese counterpart Chi Haotian meet in Moscow after the SCO defense ministers’ meeting,
: The SCO defense ministers meet in Moscow to discuss issues of Central Asian security and nuclear free zone. A joint communiqué issued at the end of the meeting calls for creating a commission of senior defense officials for coordinating joint military planning and action. The Uzbek defense minister does not take part in the meeting due to “objective reasons.”
: Russian Rosoboronexport company concludes contract to supply the Chinese navy with eight kilo diesel submarines, armed with Klab missile systems; the $1.5 billion contract will be filled within five years.
: SCO emergency situation ministers meet, with the exception of Uzbekistan, in St. Petersburg.
: Taiwan’s Board of Foreign Trade Director General Wu Wen-yea meets president of Russia’s International Private Enterprise Center in Russia.
: The SCO second foreign ministers’ meeting occurs in Moscow.
: Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov holds talks with Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan. The focus of the meeting was international terrorism.
: SCO chiefs of border departments hold first meeting in the Kazakh capital of Alma-Ata. They discuss confidence building measures, possible reduction of visa formalities for business, trade, and free traffic of people, commodities, capitals, and services.
: Russian Technologies 2002 Exhibition opens in Shenyang city of China’s Liaoning Province. Chinese enterprises conclude deals worth $100 million and sign 24 contracts and 175 protocols of intent with Russian partners.
: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko and State Councillor Wu Yi meet in Beijing to prepare the regular prime ministerial meeting (between Mikhail Kasyanov and Zhu Rongji) in the fall. China offered Russia a $1.5 billion credit to boost exports from China.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin informs Chinese President Jiang Zemin about progress in Russia-NATO relations toward the summit in Italy on May 28. Putin and Jiang also stressed the fundamental importance of Russian-Chinese collaboration at both bilateral and multilateral levels, including the SCO and other international organizations.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgii Mamedov and Chinese counterpart Wang Guangya meet in Moscow to discuss the issue of strategic stability, international security, and the upcoming Shanghai Cooperative Organization (SCO) summit.
: Sergei Stepashin, chairman of the Russian Audit Chamber, begins a week‑long visit to study the experience of his Chinese counterpart. Stepashin meets with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and China’s General Auditor Li Jinhua.
: Deputy FM Mamedov and the Chinese permanent representative at the Conference on Disarmament Hu Xiaodi meets in Geneva, expressing dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in multilateral arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin speakes via telephone with Chinese President Jiang Zemin to discuss trade and economic relations.
: Russia begins a temporary ban on imports of pork, beef, and poultry from China. Sergey Tsyplakov, Russia’s trade representative in Beijing, states that this was a “technical matter that will be settled through consultations in the spirit of partnership and cooperation.”
: A delegation led by Sergey Shoygu, Minister Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu of Civil Defense and Emergency Situations, holds talks with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing.
: Valeriy Nikolayenko, secretary general of the CIS Collective Security Council, visits Beijing for the first‑ever consultations with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
: The National Coordination Council SCO meets in Moscow and decide to start drafting the SCO’s charter that will be signed at a regular SCO summit meeting in St. Petersburg early in June.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgii Mamedov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Guangya hold talks in Beijing on strategic stability.
: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoliy Losyukov and Assistant to the Chinese Foreign Minister Liu Guchang exchange ratified copies of the Sino-Russian friendship treaty in Beijing to mark the official debut of the 30-year treaty.
: Chinese Vice Premier Wen Jiabao meets in Beijing with Viktor Vladimirovich Gerashchenko, president of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.
: President Jiang briefs President Putin via telephone on U.S. President George W. Bush’s recent visit to China.
: Senior generals of the Chinese and Russian armed forces stationed on the Sino‑Russian border meet in Heihe City of Heilongjiang Province in China and in the Russian city of Blagoveshensk; this is the first meeting of this kind.
: Russia and China sign a protocol of intent to purchase five Tu-204-120 airliners from Russia’s Aviastar‑SP in 2002‑2003, with an option of buying another 10.
: In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Deguang in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov “highly assessed” the development of the bilateral strategic partnership in 2001 and advocated further expansion of bilateral relations in 2002. Ivanov briefed Zhang on key areas in Russia’s foreign policy.
: It is reported that trade volume between Russia and China exceeded $20 billion for 2001, a 33.3 percent hike over 2000 and the highest in history.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a federal law “On the Ratification of the Treaty on Good‑Neighbor Relations, Friendship, and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.”
: Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of Parliament) ratifies the Sino‑Russian Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
: Foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) meet in Beijing for a “non‑regular” meeting, the first of this kind, to coordinate their efforts against terrorism, fundamentalism, and separatism. A joint statement also expressed “grave concern over the growth of tension between India and Pakistan.”
: Russian President Vladimir Putin conveys his “warmest New Year’s wishes” to President Jiang Zemin through visiting Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov who is in Beijing.
: Russia’s state weaponry trading company Rosoboronexport signs a $1.4 billion contract with China to build two destroyers of the 956EM type to be delivered before the end of 2005.
: Russian Duma ratifies the Russo-Chinese Treaty of Good‑neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation signed by Jiang and Putin in July 2001.
: Russian Gazprom opens a permanent office in Beijing, becoming Russia’s largest trade and economic establishment in the Chinese capital.
: Russian and Chinese Deputy Foreign Ministers Georgii Mamedov and Wang Guangya hold fourth consultations on strategic stability in Moscow.
: Chinese Embassy in Moscow holds a one-day exhibition to expose Falun Gong’s activities for 300 Russian and Chinese attendees.
: Putin and Jiang discuss via telephone the U.S. decision to withdraw from the 1972 ABM Treaty, call for closer cooperation between their countries to prevent international instability and for continuing to pursue a consistent line to build a reliable system of strategic stability.
: A Russian State Duma delegation led by Gennady Seleznyov makes an official goodwill visit to China at the invitation of Li Peng, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. The group was also received by Jiang and Premier Zhu Rongji separately on Dec. 11.
: The first session of the Russian‑Chinese anti-terrorism working group is held in Beijing jointly chaired by Deputy Foreign Ministers Anatoly Safonov and Li Zhaoxing. President Jiang and President Putin agreed to set up the working group during the October APEC meeting.
: A Chinese public security delegation led by Public Security Minister Jia Chunwang visits Russia at the invitation of Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Gryzlov. This was the first official visit to Russia by a Chinese public security minister. On Nov. 28, Jia and Gryzlov sign a cooperation agreement between the PRC Ministry of Public Security and the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Internal Affairs for jointly fighting terrorism, drug smuggling, illegal immigration, and other cross‑border crimes, as well as on protecting the two countries’ security and social stability on the border areas.
: Gen. Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of the PLA General Staff, visits Moscow for the fifth round of strategic consultations of the Chinese and Russian General Staff Departments. He held talks with Russian counterpart Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, first deputy chief of staff of the Russian armed forces.
: Putin briefs Jiang over the phone about the Russia‑U.S. summit held during Putin’s official visit to the U.S. Jiang praised the proposed deep cuts in nuclear weapons.
: The monitoring group of representatives from China, Russia, and three other Central Asian states bordering China (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) holds its fifth meeting in Beijing. The group verifies compliance with the arms reduction agreements signed in 1996–97 for confidence building and arms reductions along the border region.
: A group of four Taiwan lawmakers visit Moscow to meet with students and businessmen from Taiwan; they also meet with Russian counterparts and visit think tanks in Moscow.
: The Standing Committee of the Ninth National People’s Congress (NPC) ratifies the Sino-Russian Treaty of Good‑neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation signed by Presidents Jiang and Putin in July 2001.
: Vice President Hu pays a two-day working visit to Russia where he meets with Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, and Vice Premier Ilya Klebanov.
: A Chinese delegation, headed by Huang Yicheng, chairman of the Chinese side of the Sino‑Russian Committee for Friendship, Peace, and Development, arrives in Moscow for the fourth plenary session of the committee.
: Kvashnin holds talks with Fu, National Defense Minister Chi Haotian, Vice President Hu Jintao, and Zhang Wannian.
: Gen. Anatoliy Kvashnin, chief of the General Staff of Russian armed forces and deputy defense minister, joins the Russian team for the APEC Leaders’ Meeting. In Shanghai, Kvashnin held talks with Gen. Fu Quanyou, chief of the PLA General Staff.
: Presidents Putin and Jiang attend the Ninth APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Shanghai, hold talks on Oct. 20.
: A delegation of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) headed by Vice Chairman Sun Fuling arrives in Moscow on the first leg of a two-week visit to Russia, Moldova, and Romania.
: FMs Ivanov and Tang meet in Shanghai in preparation for the APEC Leaders’ Meeting, agree on the need for a broad coalition government in Afghanistan that would coexist with its neighbors, and discuss mutual suspicion of U.S. missile defense plans.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Losyukov holds talks in Beijing with Chinese counterparts over the issue of terrorism and the future of Afghanistan.
: Governmental officials of the law‑enforcement agencies and special services of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) member‑states hold an emergency meeting in Bishkek, discuss security in Central Asia, and analyze the military‑political situation and anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan; Uzbekistan is not represented.
: Zhang Wannian, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, meets in Beijing with Andrei Nikolayev, chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma of Russia.
: Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov calls his Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan shortly after the U.S. anti-terrorism war in Afghanistan began.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates Chinese President Jiang Zemin on the 52nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
: The construction of an oil pipeline between Russia and China starts in the Russian city of Angarsk. Four tanks with a total capacity of 30,000 tons and a transit trestlework are under construction. The pipeline will cross Russia’s Trans‑Baykal area from Angarsk to China’s city of Daqing in northeastern China. China will receive 20 million tons of oil annually at the initial stage (2005‑2009) and the volume of deliveries will rise to 30 million by 2010.
: President Putin and President Jiang confer by phone on possible international mechanisms to combat terrorism. For this purpose, Russia and China would continue close cooperation within the framework of the UN and on a bilateral level.
: In the first prime ministerial meeting of the SCO in Almaty, Kazakhstan, leaders of the six member states issue a joint declaration condemning the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11. They pledge to speed the development of their joint cooperative anti-terrorist mechanism.
: Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji visits Russia for the regular annual prime minister talks with Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov. The six commercial agreements signed include a $160-million deal to purchase five Tu‑204, 200‑seat passenger jets and an intention to buy 10 more; an agreement under which China recognizes Russian aircraft as suitable for operation in Chinese territory; an agreement on drafting a feasibility report on building an oil pipeline from Russia to China; and on setting up a sub-commission for telecommunications. Zhu also meets President Putin, Russian Federation Council (upper house of the Parliament) Chairman Yegor Stroyev, leading representatives from Russian business and industry circles, and visited the Gagarin Cosmonauts’ Training Center in the Star City.
: Russia reportedly refuses to issue a transit visa to the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama for his planned visit to Mongolia between Sept. 3 and 17; the Russian Foreign Ministry denies receiving an application.
: Russia delivers 10 of 18 Su-30 MKK jets to the Chinese Air Force; the final delivery (18 jets) will be made before the end of 2001.
: The second round of “expert meetings” of members of the Shanghai Cooperative Organization is held in Almaty; the meeting focuses on trade and economic cooperation.
: Russia and China reach agreement to create a joint sub-commission on communications and information technologies to cooperate in cell phone, satellite, and TV services.
: The Chinese Embassy in Moscow sends request to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs to prohibit representatives of Falun Gong religious sect from holding a news conference in Moscow on Aug. 13.
: Russia Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov briefs Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan in Hanoi about Russia‑U.S. talks on the ABM Treaty.
: On the phone, President Putin briefs President Jiang about the results of the G‑8 summit and his meeting with U.S. President Bush regarding strategic stability.
: Russia and China sign accord for cooperation in designing a nuclear energy plant for spacecraft and the manufacture of MOX fuel, a mixture of plutonium and uranium.
: A $2-billion agreement is reported signed by which China purchases 38 Russian Su-30MKK ground attack jets. Russian sources suggested that China would account for 30 percent to 50 percent of Russia’s arms sales in the next 10 to 15 years.
: President Jiang pays an official visit to Russia. On July 16, Jiang and Putin sign Friendship Treaty.
: Riot police in Moscow break up a rally conducted by a Russian radical party called Organizations for Supporting Tibet opposing Beijing’s bid to host the 2008 Olympics.
: Moscow police stop a group of Tibetans from holding an unauthorized rally in Moscow to protest Beijing’s bid to host the 2008 Olympic games.
: Li Lanqing, deputy prime minister of the Chinese State Council, leads a Chinese delegation at the 112th session of the International Olympic Committee in Moscow; Li meets his Russian counterpart Valentina Matviyenko to discuss exchanges in the fields of sports, culture, education, and public health.
: Russia refuses to issue a visa to Wei Jingsheng, a leading Chinese dissident based in the U.S.
: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Losyukov visits Beijing for consultations on Chinese President Jiang Zemin’s visit to Moscow.
: Russia and China sign an agreement in Beijing on cooperation in electronics, communications, and digital television.