China, Russia relations:
New Era dawns
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday signed a series of political
and commercial deals on his second state visit to China, a sign of
closer strategic ties between the two world powers.
Medvedev held talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao Monday in
Beijing. They celebrated the completion of a long-awaited China-Russia
oil pipeline, the largest bilateral project between the two countries.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) and Chinese Vice President
Xi Jinping (L) at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. AFP |
The 999-km pipeline runs from Angarsk in Russia to Daqing in
northeast China. It is part of a bilateral loan-for-oil deal that was
reached in 2009. Under it, China makes a 25-billion-U.S.-dollar
long-term loan to Russia while Russia supplies China with 300 million
tonnes of oil through pipelines from 2011 until 2030.
"The smooth completion of the pipeline project is a model for the two
countries' mutually beneficial win-win cooperation and a milestone for
China-Russia energy cooperation," said Hu at the completion ceremony.
The two countries also signed 15 deals on cooperation covering coal,
gas supply, energy efficiency, renewable energy, nuclear power, power
grids and banking.
Medvedev arrived in northeast China's port city of Dalian Sunday to
start his state visit. There, he met with veteran Chinese and Russian
soldiers who participated in China's War of Resistance against Japanese
Aggression (1937-1945), part of WWII, underscoring the "deep bonds"
between the Russian and Chinese peoples.
The Medvedev-Hu meeting in Beijing was their fifth meeting this year,
a rare frequency of meeting for two heads of state. Medvedev also met
with top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday.
Hu and Medvedev also signed a joint statement to comprehensively
deepen their strategic partnership of coordination, a description of
bilateral ties decided upon in 1996. "The highly frequent contact
between the two heads of state complies with the interests of the two
peoples and will help boost bilateral ties. The weighty agreements just
showcase the closer cooperation," said Medvedev in talks with Hu.
Hu told reporters after their talks the China-Russia strategic
partnership of coordination "stands at a new starting point" as he
called for a "new era" of bilateral ties.
While the energy deals are the spotlight of the world's attention
during Medvedev's China visit, analysts said the deals are just one part
of bilateral trade ties.
"Even though energy cooperation is an important part of China-Russia
trade, it is, of course, not enough to constitute all of the two
nations' trade," said Jiang Yi, a Russia expert with Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences, adding that the two countries enjoy cooperation
potential in areas like investment, high-tech, agriculture and finance.
In the talks, President Hu highlighted cross-border cooperation and
cooperation in high-tech and innovation.
Hu also expressed his support for Russia's proposal on inter-bank
listed trading of the RMB and Ruble in the forex markets.
"The two sides agreed that enhancing pragmatic cooperation in various
fields between the two countries is of great significance to the
quickened modernization of both countries," said Hu.
Medvedev, accompanied by a large delegation of senior officials and
business tycoons, hailed bilateral trade cooperation and expressed hope
the two countries can put their focus on major cooperative projects. "We
are delighted to see that bilateral trade has almost recovered from the
impact of the global financial crisis, with trade volumes expected to
bounce back to pre-crisis levels by the end of the year," Medvedev said.
Sino-Russia trade rose 49.6 percent year on year in the first seven
months of this year to 30.7 billion U.S. dollars, according to official
statistics. Analysts expect bilateral trade to reach 60 billion U.S.
dollars this year.
Apart from bilateral ties, China and Russia are seeking close
coordination in the international arena.
Hu and Medvedev both hailed the closer coordination of Russia and
China under the frameworks of the G20, the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) and as BRIC countries (China, India, Russia and
Brazil). "The coordination between Russia and China on the international
stage is strategic cooperation. This guideline, which allows us to adapt
to the complex international situation, will not falter," said the
Russian president.
In the meantime, Hu urged the two sides to deepen the mechanism of
strategic security negotiations while supporting each other on issues
concerning their respective core interests.
"China and Russia will maintain international peace and stability and
promote the overall recovery, and healthy and stable development of the
world economy," Hu said.
Medvedev's three-day visit will also take him to Shanghai, where he
will attend Russia's National Pavilion Day at the ongoing World Expo on
Tuesday.
"Your visit comes as the world political and economic landscape
undergoes profound changes," said Premier Wen in a meeting with Medvedev
while emphasizing the all-round outline of future China-Russia
cooperation.
"As the major issues between the two countries have been resolved,
the two governments should implement the consensuses reached by the two
heads of state and lift bilateral ties to a new level," Wen said.
Xinhua |