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Chinese premier hails economic relations with Russia

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-29 00:11

MOSCOW -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday hailed the significant progress made in the economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia in recent years.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) and Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev meet for talks in Moscow October 28, 2008. [Agencies]

Addressing the third China-Russia Economic and Trade Summit Forum in Moscow, Wen said both China and Russia are emerging economies that have important impact on the world.

Strengthened cooperation in economy and trade between the two sides are conducive to the all-round development of relations between the two countries, as well as to promoting prosperity and stability of the world economy, he said.

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The scale of bilateral trade has expanded with an upgraded trade structure, with the China-Russia trade volume rising nearly 10 times between 1998 and 2007 and expected to exceed US$50 billion this year, said Wen.

The target of US$60-80 billion in bilateral trade by 2010 set by both sides can be met, he said.

Meanwhile, the trade structure between the two countries has been upgraded over the past years, said Wen.

Russian exports of mechanical and electrical products to China have been increasing continuously in the past two years, and the two sides have kicked off new projects in such sectors as helicopter, metallurgy and machinery, said Wen.

The two nations have also stepped up cooperation in energy and natural resources, said the premier.

China, with a steady and vast market demand, has offered enormous potential for Russia in implementing its strategy of diversifying energy export, he said.

The energy negotiation mechanism between the two countries has pushed bilateral cooperation in oil and gas, nuclear energy and electricity into a "fast lane," Wen said.

China and Russia have boosted cooperation in forestry, mining, as well as refinery, he noted.

The two sides have also witnessed continuously deepened cooperation in high-tech fields such as manned space missions, Mars exploration, information and communication, energy-saving and environmental protection, said Wen.

Those cooperation has played an active role in improving the industrial structure and promoting the growth of an innovative economy in both countries, Wen said.

Currently, the two sides are conducting all-round cooperation in the basic research, applied research and industrialization in such priority areas as nanotechnology, life system, and the utilization of natural resources, by way of establishing research centers and industrial demonstration bases, he noted.

Meanwhile, mutually-beneficial cooperation between enterprises of the two countries has been increasing, with the total accumulative investment between the two sides amounting to over US$2 billion, Wen said.

Major joint projects such as the Tianwan Nuclear Power Station, the Baltic Sea Pearl and the Chinese Trade Center in Moscow, are all in sound operation, he said.

Russia's Rusal, SystemGroup and Rosneft Oil Company have either already established big projects or prepared to invest in China, Wen noted.

And Russian consumers have become increasingly inclined to choose China-made communication equipment and household apparatus, he said.

The Chinese premier arrived here on Monday for an official visit aimed at strengthening China's strategic partnership with Russia.

Russia is the first leg of Wen's two-nation tour, which will also take him to Kazakhstan on Wednesday.