Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo said in Beijing Monday that economic cooperation between China and Russia will bring about substantial benefits to the two countries, and he urged the expansion of bilateral trade.
Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China, China's top legislature, made the comment while meeting with visiting chairman of the Russian Federation Council Sergei Mironov.
With their joint efforts, Wu said, China and Russia have forged a partnership of strategic cooperation.
The Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 2001 summarized the development of Sino-Russian ties and established a legal base for the future progress of bilateral ties, Wu said.
That indicated China-Russia relations entered a new stage, he added.
The China-Russia summit held in May this year made it clear that the new Chinese leadership attaches great importance to Sino-Russian ties, he said.
China is pleased with the current bilateral ties and their continuing progress and China appreciates Russia's commitment to abide by the one-China policy on the Taiwan issue, Wu said.
China firmly supports Russia's efforts in fighting the separatist forces and maintaining territorial integrity, he said.
Though economic cooperation and trade is still lagging behind compared with the strength of the two economies, Wu said, a sound momentum of development has been witnessed.
The Chinese NPC will conduct further exchanges with the Russian parliament to vitalize the development of the Sino-Russian partnership of strategic cooperation, Wu said.
Mironov said that Russia attaches great importance to its relationship with China, and that the Russia-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in international political arena.
The Russian Federation Council is ready to develop good cooperation with the NPC of China, he said.
Mironov is on a two-day official visit to China at the invitation of Wu.
(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2003)
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