Chinese Foreign Minister on Friday stressed China's readiness to continuously promote the strategic partnership with Russia during 2008.

"As the China-Russia strategic partnership of cooperation has entered the second 10-year in 2008, we are ready to work with the Russian side to continue to promote the development of the partnership, in the guidance of the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation," Yang told Russia's Interfax news agency.

Yang said China is ready to strengthen high-level visits between the two countries, and give greater support to each other with regards to the issues concerning the core interests of each other.

"We look forward to the early visit by elected President Dmitri Medvedev to China," said Yang, adding the two heads of state will hold bilateral meetings on the occasions of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and the APEC meeting, and the two premiers will hold their regular meeting in Russia this year.

China will devote itself to implementing the agreements between the two sides, giving priority to cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, energy, investment, high technology and environmental protection.

China will also exert itself to expand cultural and personnel exchanges with Russia and strengthen strategic cooperation in international and regional affairs, said Yang.

He reiterated China's congratulations to Medvedev for being elected as the new president of Russia and China's appreciation of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin's contribution to the development of China-Russia relations.

On economic and trade cooperation, Yang said China does not pursue a trade surplus with Russia and is ready to take joint active measures to promote trade balance with Russia, adding China's market is an open market.

According to statistics with the General Administrations of Customs, China-Russia trade volume topped 48 billion US dollars in 2007, up 44.3 percent year on year, the highest annual growth since 1993. The volume of investment of both sides exceeded 2 billion dollars at the end of 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2008)