At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China from Tuesday to Wednesday, which is expected to further consolidate ties between the two countries.

That Xi and Putin sent congratulatory letters to the 10th China-Russia Expo on Sunday highlights the importance the two leaders attach to strengthening bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

Pointing out that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, Xi said in his letter that bilateral cooperation in various fields had been continuously deepened and solidified, achieving fruitful results thanks to joint efforts of the two countries.

Noting that the expo provides a platform for direct and in-depth dialogue between the two sides, Putin in his message expressed the expectation that the expo will produce positive outcomes, help plan for new prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, and bring benefits to the two peoples.

Thanks to the strategic guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, China-Russia relations exhibit a high level of mutual trust, and have withstood the turmoil in the international landscape, serving as a stabilizer of the postwar world order.

Last year, the two sides issued three joint statements on deepening their relations, strengthening global strategic stability and upholding the authority of international law.

At a time when global security is becoming ever more volatile, it is important for China and Russia, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, to work together to bolster the status of the UN and continue coordinating with each other on major international and regional issues.

During the upcoming visit, it is anticipated that both sides will build on the outcomes of high-level exchanges in the past and plan together the future development of relations, which matters not only to the two countries, but also to the world.

China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with the bilateral annual trade volume registering more than $200 billion for the last three consecutive years. And statistics from China's Ministry of Commerce show that bilateral trade reached $61.2 billion in the first quarter of this year, a 14.7 percent increase year-on-year.

The two countries are also stepping up their pragmatic cooperation in fields such as energy, artificial intelligence and agriculture, and increasing people-to-people exchanges. These exchanges and collaboration are forming strong support for the two neighbors to weather multiple challenges and further consolidate bilateral ties.

This year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, which presents fresh opportunities for the two countries to deepen their win-win cooperation, better align their development strategies and further unleash their growth potential.

Equality, mutual respect and structural complementarity between the two economies explain the resilience of China-Russia economic ties.

The two countries not only collaborate closely but also show strategic independence in the process. As has long been pointed out, China-Russia relations are based on non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, forming a new type of relationship between major countries. Under this type of relationship, win-win cooperation that brings tangible benefits to the two nations is the focus.

It's important for China and Russia, which share common ground in their views of many major international and regional affairs, to leverage their robust relationship to safeguard existing international rules. In the face of rising unilateralism, the two countries need to continue shouldering their responsibilities as major countries to advance multipolarity and globalization. Their cooperation in multilateral organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS will play an important role in this regard.

It is hoped that the upcoming visit by Putin will promote further development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, so that it can inject more stability into world affairs and provide a stronger impetus for global development and prosperity.