On May 30, the China-Russia High-Level Think Tank Forum (2025) was held in Beijing, under the theme “China and Russia: Cooperation in a New Era—In Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the Founding of the United Nations.” More than 100 representatives of the Chinese and Russian governments, think tanks, academia, and business communities engaged in in-depth discussions on three key themes: “Jointly Safeguarding True Multilateralism and Promoting World Multipolarity,” “Practical Cooperation and Common Development,” and “People-to-People Exchanges and Inter-Civilizational Dialogue.”
Addressing the opening ceremony, Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), emphasized the historic contributions of both China and the Soviet Union—main theaters of action in Asia and Europe during WWII and the respective backbones in the fight against Japanese imperialism and German Nazism—to securing the global victory against fascism. He called for continued joint efforts by China and Russia to uphold the authority of the United Nations to promote a multipolar and democratic international order, continue their mutually beneficial cooperation to advance inclusive economic globalization, and strengthen people-to-people ties to enhance the diversity of global civilizations through mutual learning.
Igor Ivanov, president of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), stressed that the Russia-China relationship has reached a historic high, serving as a model for major-country relations in the contemporary era. He hailed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent state visit to Russia and his presence at the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War, alongside the signing of the joint statement on further deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era with Russia President Vladimir Putin, saying that this document provides clear strategic direction and new momentum for the next phase of bilateral relations. Ivanov also pointed out that at present, certain countries are attempting to distort historical narratives, deliberately overlooking or even discrediting the contributions of Russia and China to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. He urged the international community to remain vigilant against such historical revisionism and the erosion of historical truth.
In his video address to the forum, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui recalled that 80 years ago, China and the Soviet Union made immense national sacrifices to secure the great victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, laying the cornerstone of the post-war international order with blood and lives. Today, some eight decades later, certain countries overtly pursue narrow “their country first” policies while engaging in power politics and bullying, seeking to replace multilateralism with unilateralism and superseding the post-war international order with so-called self-decreed rules.
Facing the discordant noises and countercurrents of the times, China and Russia continue to stand firmly together to resist unilateral acts through strategic resolve and counter trade protectionist barriers through open cooperation. In so doing, the two nations have successfully forged a model for major neighboring countries to coexist constructively, injecting strong momentum into global multipolarity and demonstrating the responsibility and commitment of both nations as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Zhang remarked.
Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov reflected on the enduring brotherhood forged through shared sacrifice during the war against fascism, calling it the foundation of today’s strong bilateral ties. He underscored the resilience of economic cooperation, with China remaining Russia’s top trading partner for 15 consecutive years.
The forum was cohosted by CASS and the RIAC, and jointly organized by the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies and the China-Russia High-Level Cooperation Think Tank at CASS.