All-round strategic partnership

Energy cooperation has become a core ingredient of the China-Russia relations. Zhang said the latest breakthroughs help propel the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership into a new era of development.

"China is to devote consistent and unswerving effort to establishing a strategic partnership of energy cooperation with Russia as agreed upon by the heads of state of the two countries," Zhang said during talks with Dvorkovich.

Zhang is the first senior Chinese leader who visited the Far East City of Yakutsk, capital city of Russia's Sakha (Yakutia) Republic. His visit fully demonstrates China's readiness to coordinate its economic restructuring with Russia's move to rejuvenate the Far East region.

China's development of the traditional industrial belt in the northeast will offer great opportunities for bilateral cooperation. The natural gas pipeline running through Northeast China will not only inject fresh vitality into this region, but also help improve the structure of energy consumption in all China.

During the visit, Zhang also met people from all walks of life in Russia. People-to-people exchanges have become an important pillar of the China-Russia relations as mutual political trust and practical cooperation reached an unprecedented height.

Since 2006, the two countries have held reciprocal events, including the Year of Russia in China in 2006, the Year of China in Russia in 2007, language years in 2009 and 2010, followed by tourism years. In 2014, the two countries held the China-Russia Youth Friendly Exchange Year.

Both sides expressed the belief that under joint efforts of the two countries, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership will undoubtedly ascend to a new level.

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