Foreign and Military Affairs

Leaders to sign host of deals in Moscow

By Wu Jiao and Qin Zhongwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-06-16 07:26

Moscow - President Hu Jintao, who arrived in the Russian capital on Wednesday night, will start his two-day visit to Russia with a heavy package of political and economic deals to be signed.

Arriving to a grand welcoming ceremony at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport, Hu said in a written statement that China will "firmly strengthen the strategic relationship between the two countries". The president will meet his counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his visit, discussing cooperation between the two countries over the next 10 years.

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The leaders will also discuss how to enhance strategic and political trust, exchange views on deepening cooperation in key areas, and share the major common concerns of international and regional issues, Cheng Guoping, assistant foreign minister, told a news briefing earlier this month.

During the visit, the two heads of state will deliver a joint statement on the international situation and major international issues.

Among the issues to be discussed are situations in Libya and Syria, as well as the Iran nuclear issue.

A series of energy, finance and other cooperation documents will be signed as well.

There is also speculation on natural gas cooperation between the two countries, as active negotiations are now under way and a positive breakthrough is expected.

With common interests far surpassing disputes, China and Russia will continue to pursue a better relationship that benefits both developed and developing countries, according to Xing Guangcheng, an expert on Russian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"As strategic cooperation partners, China and Russia share lots of common interests and bear the same responsibility of building and maintaining a new world order," Cheng told China Daily on Wednesday.

Hu arrived in Russia after attending the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, Kazakhstan, to commemorate its 10th anniversary.

Hu's state visit to Russia also comes during the 10th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between China and Russia, which was signed in 2001.

During a ceremony in Moscow on June 14 commemorating the signing of the important document, Li Hui, Chinese ambassador to Russia, said the signing was a landmark event, and the treaty had become an important principle that the two countries uphold and helped lay the legal foundation for bilateral ties.

Hu's state visit on this occasion will therefore have a special significance and help promote the two countries' strategic partnership, according to Li.

Sun Yuanqing contributed to this story.