The visit of President Hu Jintao will help strengthen
Russian-Chinese cooperation both in trade and economy, former
Russian ambassador to China Igor Rogachev said.
"This official visit of the Chinese president will undoubtedly
lead to important political results," Rogachev, who served as
ambassador for 13 years and is now a member of the Federation
Council, the upper house of parliament, said in an interview with
Interfax.
"We have very good prospects and we would like these prospects
to be more than the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China
in Russia. Hopefully, a good basis has been laid in the relations
between our countries so that our cooperation extends throughout
the entire 21st century," Rogachev said.
Russia and China are genuine strategic partners that jointly
address a number of major international political issues, Chairman
of the Committee for CIS Affairs of the State Duma, the lower house
of parliament Andrei Kokoshin said in an interview with Itar-Tass
news agency.
"The visit of President Hu Jintao to Russia is taking place at a
time when Russian-Chinese relations have entered a new, higher
level of development," Kokoshin said on Monday.
"I can't but say that we have a serious understanding of our
interests and mutual respect with regard to the situation in
Central Asia and in the post-Soviet space," he said.
"China has repeatedly made it clear that it recognizes the
supremacy of Russian interests in this regions and acts there
accordingly," Kokoshin added.
Hu arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day state visit to
Russia and held talks with Putin and attended the opening ceremony
of the "Year of China in Russia" later in the day. The two
countries signed a joint statement on ways to further develop the
Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation.
(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2007)
