Today, the natural gas pipeline of China Russia east line is officially opened for operation, which is a major event for China Russia to further strengthen economic cooperation, and has a very positive significance for the diversification of Russia's energy export and China's energy import. This is another achievement of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia in the new era.

With a total length of more than 8000 kilometers, this pipeline is the longest natural gas pipeline in the world. The construction around it has been carried out for 18 years through negotiations alone, and can bear fruit rapidly in the following years, which is obviously encouraged and echoed by the continuous strengthening of strategic mutual trust between China and Russia. China Russia Heilongjiang bridge and Tongjiang bridge have been closed and will be opened to traffic soon, which is not isolated and accidental.

Neighboring China and Russia are one of the world's largest energy consumption markets and one of the largest natural gas producers. Before that, Russian natural gas accounted for a very small proportion of China's market consumption, which is certainly abnormal.

After the east line pipeline runs at full capacity, it can deliver 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China every year, which will account for 14% of China's natural gas consumption in 2018 and about 28% of China's imports that year, which will strongly help China put its eggs in more baskets.

In the past, Russian natural gas was exported to Europe, and the market was too single. In the era of natural gas seller's market, Russia's exports need not worry. However, the large-scale exploitation of shale gas in the United States and the rapid change of global energy structure have gradually shaped a buyer's market. In addition, Western sanctions against Russia have not been lifted so far, and Russia's export of natural gas to Europe is facing a new situation. Opening up the Chinese market will greatly improve Russia's negotiating position with Europe.

This is a typical win-win cooperation between China and Russia. The strategic complementary relationship between China and Russia has a broad extension. The strengthening of cooperation between the two countries not only creates a large number of direct interests, but also often plays a positive role in leveraging the third-party cooperation between the two countries. This kind of effect is extremely extensive, some of which are very prominent at that time, some of which may be revealed in a period of time.

It is a great honor for the two countries and the two peoples that neighboring countries, as well as two major countries with world influence, can form such comprehensive strategic cooperation as China and Russia. "Long-distance exchanges and close attacks" is one of the usual patterns of geopolitics. Many countries in the world have fallen into this pattern, especially in Asia. Today's China Russia relations have become a shining example.

With the continuous strengthening of political mutual trust, China Russia economic and trade cooperation will have more space to explore. The natural gas pipeline and the bridge over the boundary river are just the "infrastructure construction" of all-round cooperation between China and Russia, which will lead a long chain of cooperation between the two peoples. All of these are likely to have a structural impact on the geo economy of the whole region and release more abundant significance.

This natural gas pipeline will bring tangible benefits to the people along the line. It will drive the economic vitality of the areas along the Russian side. On the Chinese side, many cities will use Russian clean energy, which will make the environmental protection construction in Northeast and East China more secure.

China is vigorously promoting the concept of "people-centered" development, which, when adopted internationally, is to maximize equality and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries. The natural gas pipeline in the east of China and Russia is a transnational project serving the interests of the two peoples, which is related to the well-being of the two peoples from the beginning to the end. There should be more and more transnational pipelines, roads and bridges on the boundary rivers in the world, and those thoughts that hinder the construction of them will enter history.

Article excerpt: Global Times