Chinese, Russian leaders hail strategic partnership development

BEIJING—Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin hailed the development of the strategic partnership between the two countries in a telephone conversation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Hu spoke highly of Putin’s outstanding contributions to the China-Russia strategic partnership in the phone talks Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement. The two countries have signed the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and achieved a thorough settlement of the border issue, the Chinese president said.
Both countries successfully staged the “Year of Russia” in China and the “Year of China” in Russia during the past two years, after the signing of a joint statement on world order in the 21st century in July 2005, he added.
Hu expressed confidence in seeing more fruits of friendship and further development of the Russia-China strategic partnership based on common efforts. Putin highly evaluated his close and fruitful cooperation with Hu, reaffirming that Russia and China are strategic partners and that his country attaches great importance to bilateral ties with China.
More than 600 events were staged within the framework of the national theme years, he said, adding Russia and China have witnessed steady expansion of bilateral trade and good cooperation in world affairs.
He expressed hope that the leaders of both countries will continue close exchanges and further promote the Russia-China strategic partnership.
Putin also wished the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games every success. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russian-Chinese cooperation is an important pole in maintaining world stability.
“China is one of our strategic partners and links between China and Russia are important for the world stability,” Putin said at his annual and maybe last press conference before he steps down after the March 2 presidential election.
Putin also hailed the strategic partnership of coordination and mutual trust between the two countries, saying increasing trade and economic cooperation boosted bilateral ties.
“The cooperation between China and Russia will reach new horizon in the future and will expand in fields such as trade and economy, science and technology, aviation and space research, and environmental protection,” he said.
The marathon conference is attended by nearly 1,400 domestic and foreign journalists and expected to last for three hours.—Xinhua