Jiabao made a statement, after arriving in the Russian capital; according to Jiabao, China is ready to expand its multi-faceted cooperation with Russia and to elevate bilateral strategic partnership to a new level.
I'm sure this visit will prove an unqualified success, also serving as a new incentive for the all-out development of Chinese-Russian relations and our cooperation in various fields, Jiabao said.
President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation is to receive Wen Jiabao here today. As has already been reported, Beijing is to host a bilateral summit in mid-October. Meanwhile preparations for that summit are a top-priority aspect of Jiabao's Moscow visit.
Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and Wen Jiabao will negotiate the entire range of bilateral relations in the afternoon during their ninth regular conference.
The sides will focus on Russian-Chinese fuel-and-energy cooperation, as well as various aspects of trade-and-economic, investment, science-and-technological and humanitarian interaction. The Chinese side hopes that bilateral talks on Russia's projected World Trade Organization (WTO) membership will be completed in Moscow. The issues of cooperation in the international arena and of combating terrorism will also be discussed.
It's intended to sign a number of documents, after the talks wind up.
The bilateral trade turnover had totalled $15.76 billion over the 2003 period, soaring by 32.1 percent on 2002 levels. Bilateral-trade volumes reached $9.45 billion over the January-June 2004 period, a 39.1-percent increase on corresponding 2003 levels. According to experts, the bilateral trade turnover will approach the record-breaking $20-billion mark before the year is out.
According to experts, China has already invested more than $1 billion into the Russian economy, what with Russian investment on Chinese territory standing at $800 million. Khabarovsk hosted the first-ever Russian-Chinese investment forum this past June, with the concerned parties charting 12 major investment projects worth $700 million with the participation of the Chinese capital. Work is now proceeding apace to implement construction projects worth about $300 million and $1 billion in Moscow and St. Petersburg, respectively.
The bilateral science-and-technological cooperation program now comprises 172 joint fundamental-and-applied research projects in various spheres.
Russia continues to deliver its oil to China inside railroad tankers. China had received 3.3 million tons of oil last year; and plans are in place to deliver 6.4 million tons of oil before the year is out.
YUKOS, which has trouble repaying its tax debts to the Russian state, has reportedly stopped its oil deliveries to China at this stage. However, the Chinese side voiced confidence to the effect that Russia will fulfil its commitments, regardless of any corporate difficulties whatsoever, also undertaking to pay for October 2004 railroad shipments.
As far as humanitarian cooperation is concerned, our two countries strive to ink an inter-governmental agreement on establishing the Russian science-and-culture center in China, and Chinese culture center in Russia.
