Earlier Tuesday, Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, held talks with Gryzlov at the Great Hall of the People.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R1) meets with Boris Gryzlov (L1), chairman of Russia's State Duma, in Beijing, capital of China, May 18, 2010. [Pang Xinglei/Xinhua]

The talks were part of the fourth meeting of the cooperative committee between China's NPC and the Russian State Duma, an exchange mechanism established in June 2005.

Wu and Gryzlov spoke highly of the exchange mechanism between the two legislative bodies, saying it provided an important platform for the two countries to deepen strategic coordination, promote legislative exchanges and boost substantive cooperation.

To inject a momentum to the mechanism, Wu proposed the two sides stick to the primary goal of deepening strategic trust, support each other on issues concerning their core interests and work together on major international and regional issues.

Wu called for more experience sharing on legislation and state governance, so as to provide a more solid legal foundation for bilateral cooperation.

Wu and Gryzlov agreed to boost substantive cooperation, particularly those in big projects, economy and trade and region-to-region cooperation.

Wu said the two countries should take "Year of Chinese Language in Russia" as an opportunity to promote the communication between the peoples, particularly the youth.

Also on Tuesday, the cooperative committee between China's NPC and Russian State Duma convened to discuss a wide range of issues, including bilateral ties, legislative exchanges, economy, trade, energy, science and technology, environmental protection.

Gryzlov will travel to Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, and tour the World Expo in Shanghai before concluding his visit Thursday.