On June 1, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered video speeches to a high-level think tank forum between the two countries respectively.

Marking the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, Wang Yi extended congratulations and heartfelt thanks to the strategic and academic circles of the two countries who have long been committed to the cause of China-Russia friendship. He said that the treaty has laid a solid legal foundation for the long-term, sound and stable development of China-Russia relations. Guided by the spirit of "to be friends forever and never be enemies", the two sides have adhered to the principle of equality and trust, mutual support and common prosperity, promoted bilateral relations running at a sustained high level and enhanced the cooperation in various fields.

Wang Yi said it is clearly visible that the treaty has shaped a new type of major power relationship between China and Russia in the past 20 years. The two sides have always taken mutual support as the fundamental way to get along with each other, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation as the core principle of cooperation, China-Russia friendship as the most precious thing to be passed on from generation to generation, and safeguarding peace as their unshirkable international responsibility. Practice over the past 20 years has proved that the peace concept and the principles of a new type of international relations established by the treaty conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, fits the theme of the times - peace and development, and has stood the test of the changing international environment.

Wang Yi said this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Under the leadership of the CPC, China is about to embark on a new journey of fully building a modern socialist country. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia, President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin upgraded bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, which injected new connotation into the treaty. China will continue to carry forward the spirit of the treaty with Russia, stay firmly in the direction specified by the two heads of state, and promote cooperation in a larger scope, in a wider range of areas and at a deeper level. The two countries will be responsible major countries that take the lead in upholding equality, integrity, cooperation and compliance with law. They will march toward their great rejuvenation side by side, and constantly inject new impetus into the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Wang Yi hopes that the think tanks of the two countries will conduct extensive and in-depth exchanges and cooperation to provide more intellectual support and actions for consolidating China-Russia friendship, enhancing China-Russia relations, improving global governance and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Lavrov said the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation 20 years ago opened a new chapter in the friendship between the two peoples, promoted bilateral cooperation in economy, trade, energy, cultural exchanges and other fields, and elevated bilateral relations to new heights. Based on the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and the universally recognized norms of international law, the treaty fixed the consensus and principles of mutual relations in the form of law, including the mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual respect for each other's choice of development path based on their national conditions, and not allowing a third country to use its territory to harm each other's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. It has created a new model of international relations.

Lavrov stressed that Russia-China relations transcend military and political alliance, and the significance of the treaty transcends the times, allowing the development of bilateral relations to be free from the traditional framework. At present, some Western countries are trying to steal the concept and replace the system of international law with the UN Charter at its core with the so-called "rules-based order". Against this backdrop, Russia and China, as important forces in maintaining world stability and strategic balance, have become more prominent in carrying out strategic cooperation in promoting the establishment of a more just, democratic and stable multipolar international order. The treaty will further play an important role in deepening the strategic cooperation between Russia and China in keeping with the times.

The forum was jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Russian International Affairs Council. The theme of this year's forum is "China and Russia: cooperation in a new era and celebration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation."