Wang Xiaoying / China Daily

The world is undergoing profound changes and shocks, which must be considered seriously. The attempt to establish the one-pole world, based on the policy of force, has failed.

Russia is gradually consolidating its position on world affairs and has managed to regain some of the ground it lost during the disintegration of the Soviet Union. With its vast territory, unique natural resources, great culture and science, as well as powerful strategic and defense potentials, Russia maintains strong positions in nuclear technologies, outer space, the energy sector, the military-tech complex, and many others.

We hope the sustainable economic dynamics of Russia's development, which has been evident in the new century, will gain momentum. Between 2000 and 2008, the US dollar-denominated GDP of Russia grew almost 6.5 times, while Russia's share of the global GDP rose 3.5 times. On a whole, according to assessments by leading analytical centers, Russia has sufficient resources to effectively participate in the resolution of global problems and cooperate with all countries in the interests of general peace and security, as well as improve the living standards and quality of life for Russian citizens.

At the same time, we are faced with big difficulties. Our people, having no immunity against descended Western "values", feel it difficult to adapt to the new realities. There is a considerable brain drain and outflow of intellectuals to foreign countries. Organized crime and corruption continue to be an acute problem.

The most complex tasks are to be solved in the economic sphere. In fact, we need to realize new industrialization, to revive our machine manufacturing and to overcome the resource-based orientation of our economy. Even stronger efforts are needed to create an innovative economy.

Russia positions itself as an independent center in the polycentric world, and is a reliable partner open to equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with different global actors. The building of stable, mutually respectful relations with an influential power like the United States is one of the key priorities of Russia's foreign policy.

Meanwhile, Russia-China strategic interaction, partnership and cooperation has become ever-more important in the current international situation, as the countries serve as a main foothold of the contemporary polycentric world and as an important factor for international stability and security. It is believed in Russia that the nature of Russian-Chinese relations meets the vital interests of both countries and is an important synergetic factor, which strengthens international positions, as well as social and political stability in the two countries.

Mutual support of the two parties in national security and territorial integrity is of special value. Russia consistently supports China's position with regard to Taiwan, the Tibet autonomous region and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and considers it absolutely unacceptable to take part in any coalitions or programs targeted at the containment of China.

The building of Russia's trade and economic ties with China is becoming a task of strategic significance. While certain successes were reached in recent years (bilateral trade grew to $60 billion in 2010), Russia still lags far behind the volume of China's trade with other major partners.

Moreover, China and Russian can strengthen cooperation as members of BRICS. The group came about as a reaction to the collapse of the bi-polar and then one-pole world order, as well as to the serious crisis in the global system the respective countries shared a natural drive to protect their interests.

The BRICS countries represent the most dynamic force in the world economy, and all of them stand for profound reform of the financial and economic architecture of the world.

The initial four participants of the BRICS Brazil, Russia, India and China, South Africa joined the group in December 2010 account for 26 percent of the world's territory, 42 percent of its total population and 14.6 percent of its total GDP. At present, those four countries, owing to their higher economic growth rates, provide about 50 percent of global economic growth. Their growing economic influence gives them a political weight and authority in world affairs.

Participants understand that the resolution of world problems, especially in the current complex geopolitical situation, is not possible without close interaction with other partners, such as the US, the European Union, Japan, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

It should be emphasized that China and Russia, as well as the other BRICS countries, while pooling their efforts to stand by their respective interests, do not pursue any confrontation objectives. There is no talk of building any kind of a closed economic group or a political alliance.

The author is chairman of the Russia-China Friendship Association and director of the Far Eastern Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. The article is excerpts of his essay delievered at the recent forum "China and Asia: Prospects for Common Development" held by China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

(China Daily 10/12/2011 page9)