Foreign and Military Affairs

China, Russia eye stronger party-to-party cooperation

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-21 19:13

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's current visit to Russia is aimed at sharing experience with Russian leaders in running their respective countries and enhancing party-to-party cooperation, a senior Chinese Communist Party official says.

During his visit, the Chinese vice president will attend the second meeting of the dialogue mechanism between the two ruling parties -- the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the United Russia (UR), said Wang Jiarui, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony, which will also be attended by Boris Gryzlov, chairman of the UR Supreme Council and speaker of Russia's State Duma.

Xi, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, arrived in Vladivostok on Saturday for a five-day official visit to Russia.

Their attendance at the meeting highlights the great importance the top leaders of the two parties and countries have attached to deepening party-to-party exchanges, and promoting state-to-state relations through the party-to-party channel, Wang told Xinhua in an interview.

It will also raise the level of the dialogue and give a new impetus to the development of relations between the two parties and countries, he said.

The first meeting of the dialogue mechanism was launched in June last year in Beijing, where the two sides exchanged views on the impact of the international financial crisis and what measures the two countries should take in responding to the crisis.

Participants at the upcoming second meeting, which has the theme of "the Post-Crisis Mission and Role of the Chinese and Russian Ruling Parties," will have an in-depth exchange of views on how to handle complicated issues and enhance their ruling capacity in the new circumstances, Wang said.

Party-to-party exchanges are an important component of the strategic partnership between the two countries, he said.

Since the mid-1990s, the CPC has gradually set up and strengthened inter-party friendly exchanges with all major political parties in Russia, based on the principles of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, Wang said.

Recent years have witnessed rapid development of friendly cooperation between the two parties, Wang said. That cooperation, including the dialogue mechanism between the two parties, has played a unique role in advancing the strategic partnership between the two countries, he added.

At the second meeting of the dialogue mechanism, the two parties will have an extensive and in-depth dialogue on such topics as the international situation in the post-crisis period, their concept of development and development strategies, party organizations and ideological building, said Wang.

The achievements from the second meeting of the dialogue mechanism would provide an important platform for the two parties to foster the innovative development of the strategic partnership between the two countries, he said.

On plans for future party-to-party exchanges, Wang proposed the two parties make continued efforts to maintain the momentum of frequent high-level exchanges, improve the dialogue mechanism, enhance exchanges between youths and local cadres, and set up more platforms for local governments and companies of the two countries in engaging in pragmatic cooperation.