Reliable partner

Noting that China is Russia's most important trade partner, he said that Russia is an absolutely reliable partner for China.

Ostrovsky said the two countries will be able to resist outside pressure if they further integrate their economic and trade relations.

"The volume of Russian-Chinese trade amounted to $107.5 billion (in 2021)," said Ostrovsky. About $8 billion of Chinese investments flow into Russia each year, but flows in the opposite direction are comparatively small, said Ostrovsky, suggesting there's room for improvement. When the gas supplies from Yamal and Sakhalin begin reaching China, that should push up bilateral trade to about $200 billion a year, he said.

In their year-end meeting, the two leaders hailed their "model" China-Russia relations, and their desire to work toward even stronger relations this year.

Putin said the relations are at an unprecedented level, the best ever. The two nations, with a high level of strategic mutual trust, have set an example of how win-win cooperation can be pursued based on noninterference in domestic affairs and respect for each other's interests. This foundation has made the relationship a model for international relations in the 21st century.

It's far from the first time that the Russian leader, along with officials and analysts, has accorded such high praise for the bilateral relationship, nor for Putin to express Russia's full support for China on issues important to Beijing.

In February, Peskov hailed China's victory in eradicating absolute poverty. "China is a big country with a large population. Although the coronavirus has brought difficulties to the country's economic and social development, China managed to maintain a forward trend successfully," the Kremlin spokesman said.

In May, Putin said during a phone conversation with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, that Russia is ready to work with China to defend multilateralism and contribute to preserving global strategic stability.

In July, Alexander Semyonov, the head of the Yekaterinburg branch of the State Research Center of the Virology and Biotechnology Vector Institute, said the US has continued to spread the lie that the coronavirus came from a Chinese laboratory.

In November, Putin said the bilateral relationship had reached its "historical maximum" and that it is characterized by an all-embracing strategic partnership. "Together with our Chinese friends, we will continue to respond to such attempts by expanding our political, economic and other cooperation, and coordinating steps in the international arena," he said.

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. In their first meeting via video in 2021, the two countries issued a joint statement that provided for the treaty to be extended.

Under the guiding hands of the two presidents, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has established itself as an important diplomatic and strategic asset shared by both sides. It has also brought both countries closer together as they wrestle with all sorts of external challenges.

Despite the pandemic, all-around practical cooperation between China and Russia has continued to flourish. Major projects have played a key role in energizing the overall cooperation maintained by the two countries. In May, construction began on the No 7 and No 8 units of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, and the No 3 and No 4 units of the Xudapu nuclear power plant in Huludao, Liaoning province. It is the biggest China-Russia joint project in the field of nuclear energy to date.