BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The cooperation between China and Russia at the local level constitutes an important part of the overall bilateral strategic partnership of coordination, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Jinzhang said here Thursday.

    Li said the provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China and the regions, districts, republics and border territories of Russia have conducted cooperation in various fields, adding that such cooperation is developing rapidly and has become a new shining point in bilateral relations.

    China's strategy to develop its western region and revitalize the economy of its northeastern region, and Russia's plan to develop its Far East and East Siberian regions will jointly create favorable conditions for the two countries to cooperate at local level, Li noted.

    According to Li, China and Russia have so far established 68 pairs of sister-cities, provinces and regions. The border areas of the two countries have organized regular trade seminars, science shows and business workshops. In 2005, the border trade totaled 5.5 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 19 percent of the overall bilateral trade volume. Enditem