Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev have discussed bilateral ties and other issues of common concern. The two leaders have agreed to advance China-Russia relations to a new level.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) shakes hands with China's President Hu Jintao during their meeting at the BRICS summit in New Delhi March 28, 2012.

During their meeting on the sidelines of the fourth BRICS summit, the two leaders agreed to make joint efforts to advance their strategic cooperation partnership to a new level. Hu expressed hope that China and Russia can take a more active stance on bilateral cooperation, maintain close high-level contacts and bolster political support for each other. Hu also said efforts should be made to secure the smooth operation of various cooperation mechanisms to further advance collaboration on major projects covering such fields as trade, the economy, energy, aerospace, high-technology and culture.

For his part, Medvedev said Russia is ready to maintain regular exchanges of high-level visits and close communication. Medvedev also stated that Moscow is confident of meeting its goal of achieving 100-billion US dollars in bilateral trade per year by 2015 and 200-billion dollars by 2020.

Concerning the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, to be held in China this summer, Hu said Beijing places great importance on the meeting, which will be the first gathering since the organization entered its second decade. Hu said China is ready to work with Russia to yield more results at the summit on charting the course for future development and advancing the pragmatic cooperation among the SCO members.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (3rd R) meets with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev (2nd L) in New Delhi, capital of India, March 28, 2012.

The two presidents also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Hu said China and Russia share a common stance on maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula. He reiterated that the present situation on the peninsula is particularly complex and sensitive. President Hu also stated that China is ready to continue cooperating with Russia and urged all the relevant parties to remain calm and exercise restraint. Hu called for improved relations through dialogue and contacts to safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula. Meanwhile, Medevdev said Russia shares China's view on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and pledged to continue to maintain close communication and coordination with China on the issue.

Concerning the Syrian crisis, Hu said both China and Russia share the stance that the international community should respect Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and its people's choice. He said China supports the mediation efforts of UN special envoy Kofi Annan and is ready to work with Russia and the international community to play a constructive role in properly resolving the Syrian crisis. Medvedev stated that Russia is ready to work with China to push for an immediate end to violence, prevent the intense situation from escalating and urged the Syrian government and all other parties to resolve the issue peacefully.

The two presidents agreed to make joint efforts to yield desirable results at the BRICS summit. They also pledged to strengthen pragmatic cooperation and coordination on international affairs among the members and send a signal of unity and cooperation to the world.