Relations between the Chinese and Russian ruling parties are indispensable to the Sino-Russian strategic cooperative partnership, visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said Tuesday.

Xi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was speaking at the opening ceremony of the second round of strategic dialogue between the Chinese and Russian ruling parties.

Since its inception, the Sino-Russian strategic cooperative partnership has developed strongly and soundly against the backdrop of an increasingly complicated exterior environment, Xi said.

In recent years, the CPC and the United Russia party, through comprehensive and multi-layered exchanges, as well as a relationship of strategic cooperation, have played an increasingly important and unique role in promoting bilateral ties.

The second round of Sino-Russian inter-party strategic dialogue, under the theme of "Chinese and Russian ruling parties' responsibility in the post-crisis era," is of vital pragmatic significance for the two parties to strengthen capacity building, enrich the exchange mechanism, and further elevate the level of inter-party strategic cooperation, Xi said.

Boris Gryzlov, Chairman of Russian State Duma and the United Russia Supreme Council, read a congratulatory message at the opening ceremony from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is also chairman of the United Russia.

Exchanges and cooperation between United Russia and the CPC have reached a whole new level, Putin said. The inter-party dialogue fully demonstrated a highly responsible attitude from both parties to the well-being of the two peoples.

Putin said he believed a successful dialogue would provide a strong momentum for deepening the relationship between the two parties as well as the two countries.

As for the global economic crisis, Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Russian State Duma's International Affairs Committee, said that it is important for China and Russia to build an efficient cooperative platform to deal with the aftermath of the crisis.

China has valuable experience in dealing with the crisis, and Russia has also come up with effective counter-crisis measures. The two countries could step up their cooperation in fighting the crisis by deepening exchanges between the two parties, Kosachev said.

United Russia party officials said that, under President Dmitry Medvedev's push for an innovation-based economy, Russia had already identified five priority development areas, namely energy, nuclear technology, aviation, medical services and bio-technology.

The party initiated the National Innovation System project in January 2009 to facilitate the implementation of the strategy.

According to the officials, China and Russia have great potential for cooperation in promoting the development of an innovation-led economy.

Chen Fengxiang, Vice-Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, said China has to overcome many difficulties before it could realize modernization.

The country needs to adjust its economic structure, promote economic growth by boosting domestic demand, and transform its growth mode, which have become too reliant on investment and export, Chen said.

Moreover, China should upgrade its industrial structure through technological innovation as well as energy-saving and emission reduction, he said.

Xi, who arrived in Russia on Saturday, is on a four-nation tour which will also take him to Belarus, Finland and Sweden.