Special report: Premier Wen attends SCO meeting, visits four nations

    MOSCOW, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin initiated the Chinese and Russian national years in 2005. The events since then have stimulated the all-round development of bilateral ties and provided an example of how major world nations can cooperate and be good neighbors.

    Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Russia, starting on Monday, will put an end to the "Year of China" in Russia, the second of two national years. The curtains are to be lowered, but the event has built a platform and sown the seeds for substantial cooperation in the future, when its effect will be more vivid.

    POLITICAL TRUST ENHANCED

    When Presidents Hu and Putin met in Russia in 2005 they decided to hold the "Year of Russia" in China in 2006 and the reciprocal "Year of China" in Russia in 2007 in a bid to push forward their strategic partnership of cooperation.

    The two leaders exchanged congratulation letters in early 2006 and kicked off the national theme years, which included over 500 activities in various fields such as politics, economy, culture, military, education, science, technology and healthcare.

    Both Hu and Putin attended the opening ceremonies of the two theme years in the Hall of the People in Beijing and the Kremlin in Moscow. They regarded the national years as pioneer projects for further efforts to boost bilateral ties.

    The two presidents and senior government officials have exchanged visits frequently in the two years. The regular meetings of prime ministers and contact between parliaments and political parties have also helped enhance the political trust between the two neighbors.

    China and Russia have also coordinated their actions in multilateral frameworks such as at the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

    The two countries have supported each other on vital issues which concerned each country's core interests and have made joint efforts to preserve global strategic balance and world peace and stability.

    Bilateral exchanges and cooperation in political, economic, trade, cultural and educational sectors were deepened and enriched thanks to the successful national years which have fueled the development of a strategic partnership of cooperation, said Chinese Ambassador to Russia Liu Guchang.

    Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov also hailed the smooth development of bilateral ties in various fields. He said that Putin and Hu had held five meetings this year, which greatly promoted the development of the political relationship.

    ECONOMIC, TRADE COOPERATION EXPANDED

    The national years also have built a platform for the Chinese and Russian economies to further explore their reciprocal potential and expand cooperation.

    In 2006, the "Year of Russia" in China, bilateral trade volume reached a record high of 33.4 billion U.S. dollars, a 15-percent year-on-year increase.

    And in the first nine months of 2007, bilateral trade surged to 34.9 billion dollars, surpassing the total trade volume of 2006. Both China and Russia predicted that the whole year's volume is very likely to surpass 40 billion dollars and hit a new record high.

    Some 30 joint economic and trade projects have been launched under the framework of the "Year of China," which covers energy, investment, finance, telecommunications and transportation.

    Currently, there are 20 economic projects jointly-funded by the two countries underway in 12 Russian regions, with a total contract volume of 5.5 billion dollars, according to Russian business leaders.

    China is now Russia's third largest trade partner and Russia is China's eighth largest. China and Russia enjoy great potential for trade and economic cooperation. The national years have promoted the contact between the business circles in the two economies, which will further speed up bilateral economic ties, said analysts.

    CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL CONTACT STRENGTHENED

    The Russian-Chinese cultural and educational exchange is an important part of the strategic partnership of cooperation. The cultural and educational activities in the national years have boosted mutual understanding and consolidated the friendship between the two peoples.

    Delegations from China's Tibet, Hubei, Zhejiang, Hainan, Beijing and Shanghai hosted dozens of activities in Russia this year, including concerts, singing and dancing performances, exhibitions and screenings of Chinese movies, according to the Moscow-based Chinese information and media center.

    "All of those activities were local and unique, which helped Russians to get a better knowledge of China," said Ding Xiaoming, director of the center.

    "The national years stimulated the whole socioeconomic interaction between Russia and China," said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

    "We began to have more contacts and to socialize better, and this communication has taken some tangible forms," he said.

    "We have come to better understand the Chinese, and the Chinese have come to better understand us," Medvedev said.

    China and Russia have decided to hold events such as cultural festivals, education theme weeks, youth exchanges and movie screenings more regularly in the coming years.

    A "Year of Russian Language" and a "Year of Chinese Language" will be held in 2009 and 2010 respectively, said Chinese Ambassador Liu Guchang.