China, Russia to beef up legislative cooperation

BEIJING - Top legislative bodies of China and Russia on Tuesday signed regulations on deepening legislative cooperation.

Top Chinese legislator Zhang Dejiang and visiting Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko signed the documents after their hour-long talks at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.

"The fact that we are holding the 8th meeting of our cooperation committee and signing new regulations for the committee is a substantial step in implementing the consensus by the two countries' presidents on deepening legislative cooperation," said Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

Zhang and Matviyenko hailed the results of a cooperation committee formed by the NPC and Russian Federation Council in 2005.

They highlighted the closer collaboration in sharing legislative experience, promoting youth exchanges and boosting inter-company and region-to-region interactions since the 7th meeting of the cooperation committee in 2013.

Zhang characterized the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination as a model for how major countries get along with one another.

Zhang, citing the latest meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, said Xi's remarks reflected China's attitude toward developing ties with Russia in a new era.

China would like to work more closely with Russia and for the countries to open further to each other, jointly withstand risks and challenges and seek common revitalization, Xi said in his meeting with Putin.

On future legislative ties, Zhang proposed both sides share experience and provide legal guarantees for the common development of the two countries.

Zhang called on the two legislative bodies to enhance communication and coordination on major international and regional issues, make better use of multilateral cooperation mechanisms, safeguard shared interests and promote world peace and stability.

Under the new regulations, the two legislative bodies will work more closely, build a new cooperation committee, explore new ways of cooperation and bring legislative ties to a new high, Zhang said.

Matviyenko said Russia-China relations have remained at a historic high and areas of cooperation have expanded.

Matviyenko said the Russian Federation Council would like to work with the NPC to explore new opportunities for cooperation.

Earlier Tuesday, Matviyenko delivered a speech at the prestigious Peking University.

She will conclude the three-day China visit later on Tuesday.