China ready to help with Russian railway projects: Li

Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday while meeting with a senior Russian official that China's equipment manufacturing industry is willing to take part in Russia's construction of high-speed rail and its upgrading of regular railway lines.

During a meeting in Beijing with Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation and Russia's highest-ranking female politician, Li said China's manufacturers of large-scale equipment are competitive and cost-efficient.

Li described Sino-Russian relations as long-standing, stable and comprehensive, and he said China is willing to expand trade, investment, energy, high-tech and cultural exchanges with Russia, its largest neighbor.

Li also said he hopes the Russian Federation will continue to play an active role in regional and grassroots exchanges between the two countries.

Matviyenko said China's economic development will bring new opportunities to Russia.

Li will visit Russia in October to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Before becoming chairwoman of the Russian Federation, Matviyenko, who was born in Ukraine, was mayor of St. Petersburg. She is widely considered a close ally of Putin's.

Chen Yurong, a senior researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said Matviyenko has highlighted regional cooperation between northeastern China and Russia's Far East and Eastern Siberia during her three-day visit, noting its possibility of becoming the new area of growth for bilateral cooperation.

"The bilateral relationship between China and Russia has made new progress, with growing consensus on regional and international affairs contributing to world peace and stability," Chen said.

She said Matviyenko's visit to China will help to promote additional exchanges and cooperation between Beijing and Moscow. The two big countries already have achieved in-depth cooperation in areas including energy, infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges, she added.