MOSCOW, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao is to pay an official visit to Russia from Monday, during which he will
attend the 13th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian prime ministers from
Oct. 27 to Oct. 29 at the invitation of his counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The mechanism of regular meetings between the two
prime ministers, consisting of three branches covering the prime ministers'
meeting, cultural cooperation and energy resources negotiation, is of the
highest standard in China's foreign relations.
Wen's visit, given the context of global financial
crisis, will further promote the substantial cooperation between the two
neighbors and their strategic partnership of cooperation, observers believe.
POLITICAL IMPETUS INJECTED
Wen's visit to Moscow, along with other meetings
between Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,
indicated the close political ties between the two countries.
Chinese and Russian diplomats unveiled the boundary
markers for the eastern section of their border at Heixiazi Island earlier this
month, settling the last territorial issue left over for historical reasons and
clearing all the political obstacles for further cooperation.
Russia is also the first country that offered aid,
rescue and medical teams to China, where a devastating earthquake claimed tens
of thousands of lives in its southwest Sichuan Province in May. Some 1,000
Chinese children from the quake-hit regions were also invited to Russian resorts
for rehabilitation.
All of these helped to seed and spread friendship
between the two peoples, which could be felt as many Chinese cheered for Russian
athletes during the Beijing Olympics in August.
The two permanent members of the United Nations
Security Council also cooperated closely on the world arena, which has helped
safeguard their national interests and preserve world peace and stability as
well, analysts say.
BOOMING ECONOMIC TIES
Thanks to their reciprocal and booming economies,
China-Russia trade has entered a fast track of development, so has their two-way
investment and technological cooperation.
Bilateral trade volume surged by 23 percent year on
year in the first nine months of 2008 to hit 43 billion U.S. dollars, paving the
way for reaching the set target of 60 billion-80 billion dollars in 2010,
according to Chinese official figures.
Both Chinese and Russian leaders attached importance
to the cooperation in the energy sector. The gas-oil-rich Russia has served as
China's major supplier and China has been its big buyer.
The energy resources negotiation mechanism at vice
premiers' level, which was initiated by President Hu and Medvedev in a bid to
deepen energy cooperation, started in July this year.
CULTURAL, SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION
China and Russia also carried out a series of
cooperation in cultural and scientific sectors, with China's manned-space
mission topping the list.
In a bid to promote humanitarian and regional
exchange and cooperation, China is to host a Year of Russia in 2009 and Russia
will host the Year of China in 2010.
"This visit will help increase Sino-Russian mutual
trust in politics, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, promote
friendship between the two peoples, and lift the Sino-Russian strategic
partnership of cooperation to a new level," said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister
Li Hui.
