As expected, President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia has achieved eye-catching results and ushered in a new era in Sino-Russian relations.

It has sent a strong message to the outside world that China and Russia, as close neighbors and longtime friends, are determined to deepen and broaden their all-round cooperation at both the bilateral and international levels.

During Xi's visit, the two countries signed a joint statement on deepening the Sino-Russian comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and they pledged to raise the volume of bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2015 and $200 billion by 2020. Last year bilateral trade reached a record high of $88 billion.

Beijing and Moscow have also vowed to cooperate closely on multilateral platforms and they have called for a new type of great-power relations featuring long-term, stable and healthy development. These fruits lay a solid foundation for their interaction to gain both width and depth in the next decade.

The fact that Xi made Russia the first stop on his first international trip as China's head of State shows Beijing regards developing its ties with Moscow as a priority for its diplomacy.

Thanks to the mutual efforts of both sides, the relationship between Beijing and Moscow is now in its best shape for years. Over the years, the two have continuously cemented their political mutual trust, setting a good example for nation-to-nation relations, especially those between big powers.

The time is ripe to build on this momentum and eye concrete results in other fields. There is much potential to be tapped in trade, finance, energy, forestry, agriculture, environmental protection, advanced technologies, aviation manufacturing, cross-border transport and people-to-people programs.

Deepening practical cooperation caters to the interests of both countries as it helps enhance both countries' comprehensive national strength and international competitiveness.

Given the two countries' clout in the world arena, the significance of Sino-Russian ties goes beyond bilateral scope, and the two have collaborated closely on major regional and international issues. Beijing and Moscow are important contributors to a multi-polar world and they have been standing together to uphold equality and justice in the world arena.

By increasing their cooperation, Beijing and Moscow will be better positioned to look after each other's core interests and mutual concerns and they will be able to work together to promote world peace and stability.

(China Daily 03/25/2013 page8)