BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia is grateful for China's efforts in searching for the six Russian canoeists missing in northwest China's Xinjiang since Sept. 2, said a senior member of the Russian parliament.

    Vasilyev, Chairman of Security Committee of the State Duma of Russia, or the lower house of the parliament, made the remarks at a new briefing on Tuesday.

    Vasilyev is heading a delegation of the security committee for a five-day China tour.

    Markelov, a member of the committee, told the briefing that the rescue and search for the missing Russians marked the first time that China and Russia took joint rescue and research operations, noting that it is a reflection of mutual trust between the two countries. China has taken active measures and provided great help for the rescue and research work.

    Six Russian tourists failed to meet their Chinese interpreter in Hotan Prefecture as planned on Sept. 2 after they began a canoeing trip on the Yurungkax River in mid-August.

    The Chinese government has mobilized about 1,700 soldiers, policemen and local herdsmen to search for the missing tourists. So far, three bodies of the missing people have been found by Chinese and Russian rescuers.

    During their stay in Beijing, the delegation also visited the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) and the Beijing Public Security Bureau and exchanged views with the Chinese side on how to provide security guarantee for the upcoming Olympic event.

    Apart from Beijing, the delegation will also visit Shanghai, China's economic hub.