A top Chinese official on Thursday called for further party-to-party cooperation between China and Russia in an aim to boost the bilateral relations.

Xi Jinping, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with Gennady Zyuganov, president of the Communist Party of Russian (CPR) Federation at the Hall of the People in Beijing.

The two officials agreed on further cementing the exchange and cooperation between the two parties.

Xi hailed the recent development of the China-Russia strategic partnership, vowing that China is committed to make joint efforts with the Russian side to boost the partnership.

He spoke positively of the cooperation between the two communist parties, saying that the two parties have played very positive roles to help step up the ties between the two countries.

"The CPC will continue to work closely with the leading Russian political parties including the CPR", Xi added.

Agreeing with Xi's views on the bilateral relations, Zyuganov highlighted the achievement made by China in the latest three decades since the country adopted the reform and opening-up policies.

The CPR is satisfied with the implementation process of the agreements of cooperation between the two parties and confident in the future party relations with the CPC, Zyuganov told Xi, promising that the CPR would make its utmost efforts to push forward the bilateral exchange and cooperation with the mutual benefit in the various fields to a higher level.

(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2008)