China-Russia local exchange year kicks off in Harbin

"Local cooperation is quite an important part of the bilateral relationship," said Putin in his message. "The activity is the continuation of the theme years. We will hold about 100 different activities, including investment promotion conferences, various expos and visits in the framework."

Since 2009, a series of theme years between Russia and China - focused on areas such as languages, tourism, youth and media exchanges - have helped strengthen ties between the two partners in different fields.

"Both China and Russia should view the activity as an important opportunity to pursue broad prospects for both countries to synergize development strategies and further advance all-around cooperation," said Wang Yang at the opening ceremony.

"China is one of the most important political and economic partners," said Trutnev. "Russia is willing to enhance cooperation with China to explore development potential and promote deep cooperation."