Full steam ahead for Sino-Russian partnership
By Jiang Zhuqing (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-05 06:16

China and Russia are gaining "unprecedented momentum" in all-around co-operation ranging from energy to space exploration.

President Hu Jintao made the remark when meeting visiting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov on Friday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov before their meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, November 4, 2005. Fradkov is on a two-day official visit to Beijing. [Xinhua]

He was in Beijing for the 10th regular prime ministers' meeting between the two countries.

"The Sino-Russian strategic and co-operative partnership has kept growing this year and showed great vigor," Hu said.

He noted the two countries have co-operated well in politics, trade, economy, energy, investment and military sectors, as well as in international and regional affairs.

Hu urged the two sides to further use the regular meeting to strive for even more good results.

A joint communique was signed on Thursday after the meeting between Premier Wen Jiabao and his Russian counterpart. The expansion of economic co-operation was high on the agenda.

The two sides have agreed to increase annual oil shipments by rail from Russia to China to "no less than 15 million tons at the end of 2006."

According to the communique, both countries will promote gas co-operation and step up the study and implementation of a gas transmission project from eastern Siberia and the Far East to China.

In the past decade, bilateral trade has soared from US$5.46 billion to US$21.2 billion in 2004. "That figure is expected to hit US$28 billion this year," Wen said.

The two sides have set the goal of US$60-80 billion for 2010.

"China's foreign trade in 2004 exceeded US$1 trillion, so anyone can see the proportion of Sino-Russian trade and the future potential," said Shen Jiru, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

On border issues, the two countries agreed to work together on demarcation work in the remaining sections along the eastern border, according to the communique.

The document also said the two nations will deepen long-term co-operation in space exploration and make a feasibility study to jointly probe the moon as well as outer space.

"It will facilitate the world's space research if Russia, China and the European Union join hands on space research," said Shen. The two sides agreed to hold Russia Year in China in 2006 and China Year in Russia in 2007.

Xinhua contributed to this report

(China Daily 11/05/2005 page1)