Special Report: Year of Russia in China 2006

    BEIJING, June 14 -- Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan highlighted the significance of exchanges between Moscow and Beijing in high-tech, healthcare, education, sports and culture during a meeting with visiting Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov on Friday during "Moscow-Beijing Week," which ends on Sunday.

    The two mayors visited a photographic exhibition featuring Russian architecture and state-of-the-art science and technology achievements before inaugurating the trade talks meeting attended by entrepreneurs from the two cities.

    "We share many similarities in the scale of our countries, the size of the population and the strong demand and momentum in further development," Wang said.

    He expressed his admiration on the great progress Moscow has made since he visited the city 22 years ago, his first trip to a foreign country.

    "Moscow has a profound industrial and advanced technology application foundation, which deserves to be adopted by us Beijing's progress has never been separated from the outside world," he said.

    Wang encouraged local entrepreneurs and scientific research fellows to work more closely with their Moscow counterparts.

    Led by Yuri Luzhkov, some 100 entrepreneurs from Moscow met Beijing counterparts for talks on better synergy in green construction materials research, rescue-relief technology research and facilities production, anti-cancer research, nano-technology applications and high-tech radiation research.

    Sergey Buyanov, deputy director of Moscow-based Yuzhpolymental Holdings a smart-testing device supplier told China Daily he hopes his technology and products can assist the Beijing Olympic Games in many areas including entrance safety checks and building materials testing.

    More than 150 delegates from about 100 enterprises in Beijing were encouraged to work with Moscow-based entrepreneurs to share their advanced manufacturing experience.

    They were also told computer program designers are currently in strong demand in Moscow.

    China Daily also learnt during the meeting that Moscow is considering sending teams to Beijing in the latter half of this year to "learn information technology."

    Along with high-tech and long-term co-operation plans, governors from the two cities also promised to create smooth and healthy policy surroundings for the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises from both sides.