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ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, on Monday vowed to enhance pragmatic cooperation between the two neighbors.
China and Russia, each other's biggest neighbors and in a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, have seen their relations develop in a sustained, stable and sound manner, and pragmatic cooperation continuously bears new fruits, said Li during his meeting with Medvedev.
Li arrived here Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and an official visit to the northern neighbor.
China is willing to work with Russia to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), and lift the levels of China-Russia ties and cooperation, Li said.
The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The EEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
In the context of fragile world economic recovery and slowing global trade growth, China and Russia should further give full play to their complementary advantages, so as to add new vitality into each other's development, revitalization, and economic transformation and upgrade, Li said.
The premier pointed to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and innovation in particular as the areas where the two countries should step up efforts to promote their future cooperation.
Medvedev said the two countries would make more efforts to boost cooperation in SMEs' innovation, while actively conducting cooperation in major projects in the areas of oil gas and civilian nuclear energy.
Financial cooperation should also be enhanced to provide financing support for the two countries' companies to conduct cooperation, he added.
Medvedev pointed to the electromechanical, agriculture, science and technology, aviation, high-speed railways as the sectors where the two sides should promote cooperation, and vowed to go all out to reach the goal of raising the two countries' trade volume.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination.
Li is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital of Moscow on Tuesday.
Russia is the last stop of Li's eight-day Eurasia trip, which has already carried him to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Latvia.
