The Sino-Russian Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development opened its seventh plenary meeting in Moscow Wednesday. Presidents of both countries sent their greetings to the participants.

"The committee has been carrying high the banner of Russian-Chinese friendship over the ten years of its existence," Chinese President Hu Jintao said in his message.

"It has held over this period several hundred interesting activities due to which it has succeeded in deepening friendship between our peoples, and consolidate the social base of Russian-Chinese friendship and make a valuable contribution to the development of Sino-Russian strategic coordinating partnership," Hu said.

"The tenth anniversary of the committee's formation falls due this year," Russian president Vladimir Putin said.

"Vast experience of cultural exchanges and business contacts, of the dialogue of academic circles, of ties among the lines of youth, women's and sports organizations and of inter-regional cooperation has been accumulated over this period. The committee plays an important role in the success of functions in the framework of the theme years of Russia and China," he said.

The meeting endorsed the plan of the committee's work for 2007. The plan includes over 60 activities comprising areas of humanitarian and business cooperation between Russia and China.

The Russian-Chinese Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development was founded in 1997 on the initiative of the heads of state of Russia and China and is an important instrument of "people-to-people diplomacy."

The committee was created "to deepen mutual understanding and traditional friendship between the peoples of the two countries, to assist good-neighborly cooperation, strengthen and broaden the social base of Russian-Chinese strategic partnership relations."

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2007)