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Full steam ahead for Sino-Russian partnership
By Jiang Zhuqing (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-05 06:16
China and Russia are gaining "unprecedented momentum" in all-around
co-operation ranging from energy to space exploration.
President Hu Jintao made the remark when meeting
visiting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov on Friday.
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Chinese President
Hu Jintao (R) meets Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov before their
meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, November 4, 2005.
Fradkov is on a two-day official visit to Beijing.
[Xinhua]
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He was in Beijing for the 10th regular prime ministers' meeting between the
two countries.
"The Sino-Russian strategic and co-operative partnership has kept growing
this year and showed great vigor," Hu said.
He noted the two countries have co-operated well in politics, trade, economy,
energy, investment and military sectors, as well as in international and
regional affairs.
Hu urged the two sides to further use the regular meeting to strive for even
more good results.
A joint communique was signed on Thursday after the meeting between Premier
Wen Jiabao and his Russian counterpart. The expansion of economic co-operation
was high on the agenda.
The two sides have agreed to increase annual oil shipments by rail from
Russia to China to "no less than 15 million tons at the end of 2006."
According to the communique, both countries will promote gas co-operation and
step up the study and implementation of a gas transmission project from eastern
Siberia and the Far East to China.
In the past decade, bilateral trade has soared from US$5.46 billion to
US$21.2 billion in 2004. "That figure is expected to hit US$28 billion this
year," Wen said.
The two sides have set the goal of US$60-80 billion for 2010.
"China's foreign trade in 2004 exceeded US$1 trillion, so anyone can see the
proportion of Sino-Russian trade and the future potential," said Shen Jiru, a
researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
On border issues, the two countries agreed to work together on demarcation
work in the remaining sections along the eastern border, according to the
communique.
The document also said the two nations will deepen long-term co-operation in
space exploration and make a feasibility study to jointly probe the moon as well
as outer space.
"It will facilitate the world's space research if Russia, China and the
European Union join hands on space research," said Shen. The two sides agreed to
hold Russia Year in China in 2006 and China Year in Russia in 2007.
Xinhua contributed to this report
(China Daily 11/05/2005 page1)
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