The China Russia East Gas Pipeline officially opened for operation today, which is a major event for China and Russia to further strengthen economic cooperation, and has a positive significance for the diversification of Russian energy exports and China's energy imports. This is another achievement of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia in the new era, advancing towards the economic and trade field.

This gas pipeline has a total length of over 8000 kilometers, making it the longest natural gas pipeline in the world today. The negotiations surrounding its construction lasted for 18 years alone, and it was evident that it was encouraged and responded to by the continuous strengthening of strategic mutual trust between China and Russia in the following years. The China Russia Heilongjiang Bridge and the Tongjiang Bridge have both been closed and are about to open to traffic. This is not isolated or accidental.

Adjacent to China and Russia, one is the world's largest energy consumption market and the other is one of the largest natural gas producers, while Russia's natural gas consumption in the Chinese market was previously very small, which is certainly abnormal.

After the full operation of the Eastern Pipeline, 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 its imports that year. This will strongly help China put eggs in more baskets.

In the past, Russian natural gas was mostly exported to Europe, and the market was too single. In the era of the seller's market for natural gas, Russia's exports do not have to worry. However, the large-scale extraction of shale gas in the United States and the rapid changes in the global energy structure have gradually shaped a buyer's market, coupled with the fact that Western sanctions against Russia have not been lifted so far, Russia's natural gas exports to Europe are 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 wide range of extensions. Strengthening cooperation between the two countries not only creates a large number of direct benefits, but also often plays a positive leverage role in third-party cooperation between the two countries. This kind of effect is extremely widespread, some were already prominent at the time, and some may take some time to manifest.

It is a great honor for both countries and their peoples that neighboring countries, as two major countries with global influence, can form comprehensive strategic cooperation like China and Russia. "Long distance communication and close attack" is one of the common patterns in geopolitics, and many countries around the world have fallen into this pattern, especially in the Asian region. Today's China Russia relations have become a shining example.

With the continuous strengthening of political mutual trust, there will be greater space for economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia to be developed. The natural gas pipeline and the bridge over the boundary river are just the "infrastructure construction" of comprehensive cooperation between China and Russia, and they will drive a long chain of cooperation between the two countries. All of this is likely to have a structural impact on the geopolitical economy of the entire region and release richer meanings.

This natural gas pipeline will bring tangible benefits to the people along the route. It will drive the economic vitality of the regions along the Russian side. In China, many cities will use Russian clean energy, making environmental protection construction in Northeast and Eastern China more secure.

China is vigorously promoting the development concept of "putting the people at the center", which aims to maximize equal and mutually beneficial cooperation among countries internationally. The East China Gas Pipeline between China and Russia is a multinational project that serves the interests of the people of both countries, and it is linked to the well-being of the people of both countries from beginning to end. The number of cross-border pipelines, roads, and bridges on boundary rivers in this world should be increasing, and the thinking that hinders their construction is now entering history.