China, Russia agree to further cooperation

BEIJING -- China and Russia signed nearly 20 deals here Wednesday in areas including investment, energy and space exploration.

The deals came after the 22nd regular meeting between the heads of government of China and Russia held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing.

During the meeting, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev that as each other's biggest neighbor, China and Russia have witnessed robust development of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

Li said for China, the biggest developing country in the world, development is the solution to all problems.

Both China and Russia view each other's development as an important opportunity, therefore there is a broad prospect for both countries to synergize development strategies and further advance all-round cooperation, said Li.

He said closer bilateral cooperation will contribute more to the peace and development in both countries, the region and the world.

Li briefed Medvedev on the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) which was held from Oct 18 to 24 in Beijing.

He said that the CPC National Congress had just elected a new CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, established Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guiding spirit of the CPC and mapped out China's future goals of development.

Medvedev, the first head of government to visit China after the congress, congratulated the CPC on the success of the congress and hoped the Chinese people would achieve their goals at an early date.

He said current Russia-China relations are at the apex of history with frequent high-level visits, efficient cooperation on key projects and rapid trade and investment growth.

Russia is willing to enhance traditional cooperation with China in areas such as energy, infrastructure construction and aviation, to expand to new areas including e-commerce and financial investment, and to advance cooperation on cultural and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

China is willing to cooperate with Russia on the basis of mutual respect, equality and common development and promote the building of a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, Li said.

After the meeting, Li and Medvedev signed a joint communique and met the press.

On Wednesday afternoon, Li and Medvedev attended the closing ceremony of the China-Russia Media Exchange Year.

Together with more than 600 representatives from China and Russia, Li and Medvedev watched a video reviewing activities from the past two years, praising the results.

Media exchange year, launched by President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, has shown that China and Russia enjoy a high degree of political mutual trust and mutual understanding in culture, said Li.

Activities, covering the areas of politics, economy, culture and people's daily life, have increased understanding between the two peoples, said Li.

Medvedev said the two countries have held more than 250 activities during the media exchange year, reflecting the deep friendship between the two peoples and the significance of bilateral relations.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong also attended the closing ceremony.

Also on Wednesday, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, Vice Premier Wang Yang and Vice-Premier Liu Yandong received a Russian state award, the Order of Friendship, from Medvedev.

The Order of Friendship is a state decoration of the Russian Federation to reward foreign nationals who have made significant contributions to strengthening peace, friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding among nations.