国内英语新闻:China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination reaches new high

MOSCOW, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The future of Russia-China relations is looking bright following Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's three-day visit to China, which included the 14th Chinese-Russian prime ministers' meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, who met with Putin on Wednesday, the last day of his visit, spoke highly of the development of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the results of the 14th regular meeting between Putin and his Chinese counterpart.

    Hu said China was willing to exert joint efforts with Russia and take the opportunities to further enhance political mutual trust, deepen pragmatic cooperation, especially cooperation on energy, high technology and culture, to elevate the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination to a new high.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 14, 2009

    USHER IN A NEW STAGE IN BILATERAL TIES

    China-Russia ties have become mature and stable since the forging of bilateral diplomatic ties 60 yeas ago, particularly since the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination in 1996.

    The partnership has reached an uNPRecedented high level and maintains a sound momentum of rapid development.

    The development of China-Russia relations has not only brought tangible benefits to both peoples, but has gone far beyond the relationship between the two countries and become a significant factor in facilitating world peace and stability.

    Wen, during talks with Putin, stressed that China was ready to work with Russia to take the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination to a new phase.

    Putin, in an interview with Xinhua and other major Chinese media, said Russia-China cooperation is one of the most important cornerstones of world stability.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R Front) shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L Front) after signing the joint communique of the 14th regular prime ministers' talks between China and Russia, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 13, 2009

The joint communique, signed after the regular meeting between Wen and Putin, reiterated that the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination was the priority of both countries' foreign polices.

    The two sides would observe the principle and spirit of the treaty on good-neighborly and friendly cooperation, firmly reinforce strategic coordination and pragmatic cooperation, jointly tackle new threats and challenges, and push for a multi-polar world and the democratization of international relations.

    During Putin's stay in Beijing, the two countries inked an agreement on mutual notification of ballistic missiles and launch of carrier rockets, demonstrating the extraordinary level of strategic mutual trust.

    BOOSTING BILATERAL TRADE & ECONOMIC COOPERATION

    High on Putin's agenda for his trip was to widen cooperation fields and move forward pragmatic trade and economic cooperation.

    An enhanced China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination has greatly boosted bilateral trade and economic cooperation, with the two-way trade volume soaring to 56.8 billion U.S. dollars last year from barely several billion dollars in early 1990s.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R Front) and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L Front) meet the entrepreneurs' delegates who are here to attend the Fourth China-Russia Economic and Trade Summit Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 13, 2009

However, bilateral trade was hit hard by the international financial crisis. The regular meeting between prime ministers agreed that the two countries would use tough measures to jointly handle the economic downturn and ensure the general trend of constantly broadening and deepening trade and economic ties.

    During the visit, Putin was accompanied by a group of Russian business people, who signed with their Chinese counterparts deals worth 4 billion U.S. dollars. The two countries clinched an array of cooperation documents, including agreements and memorandums on natural gas, oil, an express railway, the space industry and nuclear energy.

    Although the bilateral trade volume shrank, both sides' position in each other's foreign trade ties became more prominent and the trade structure is improving gradually. Progress has been made on investment cooperation and more joint projects such as lumber processing, resource exploitation and infrastructure construction have been carried out on Russian territories.

    In particular, the two countries are pushing forward large-scale oil and gas projects in a steady manner. The launch of the China-Russia oil pipeline project marked a new stage of long-term and strategic cooperation in the oil sector. The two sides will also advance gas cooperation in accordance with a memorandum of understanding on gas cooperation reached in June.

    Meanwhile, the two states are fulfilling an outline of regional cooperation between Northeast China and the Russian Far East Area and Eastern Siberia, which envisions prosperous cooperation between border regions.

    The economies of China and Russia are mutually complementary and in a critical phase in development. As long as they plan from a long-term perspective, display their strengths and cooperate closely, they will overcome the current difficulties and realize a win-win situation.

    BEEFED UP CULTURAL COOPERATION

    On Tuesday, Putin and Wen attended an evening gala to mark the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. They also celebrated the success of the Year of Russian Language in China.

Russian performers dance during an evening gala to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 13, 2009. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin attended the evening gala. The evening gala also marked the end of a half-year-long program, "Year of Russian Language" in China

The reciprocal language years, Year of Russian Language in China in 2009 and Year of Chinese Language in Russia in 2010, is an important step to enhancing bilateral cultural cooperation under current conditions.

    Leaders of both countries have always attached great importance to exchanges between the two peoples, especially the youth, which would promote the understanding and friendship between the them and thus consolidate the social foundation of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination.

    More than 200 events, which involved tens of thousands of people, were staged during Year of Russian Language in China. Putin said that Year of Chinese Language in Russia would see a series of activities that would interest the young, experts and scholars, and fans of the Chinese culture.

    During Putin's visit, the two countries also signed a deal on forming culture centers reciprocally, and agreed to further exchanges between students, youth and education circles, as well as stepping up cooperation on tourism, health and care, sports, media and the film industry.

    There is reason to believe that, with the efforts by both sides, China-Russia cultural cooperation will yield more fruitful results and lay a solid foundation for the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of coordination.