Sino-Russian ties have entered into a very sound phase as the leaders of both countries have built mutual trust and a cooperative partnership, exchanged high-level visits frequently and coordinated closely in major international affairs.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin made the remarks during his meeting here Friday with visiting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mikhailovich Kasyanov, which was permeated with a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

President Jiang asked Prime Minister Kasyanov to send his greetings to President Vladimir Putin, saying he was looking forward to meeting his Russian counterpart at the leaders' summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), to be held later this year.

Hailing the fruitful seventh regular meeting between the two countries' prime ministers, Jiang said he was satisfied with the healthy development in politics and economic cooperation between China and Russia.

The Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation he and president Putin signed last year has been implemented successfully, he said, and Sino-Russian relations have made significant progress.

Regular meetings between the prime ministers of the two countries have proceeded smoothly and contributed tremendously in boosting substantial cooperation in various fields, the Chinese president said.

The expansion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation is essential for the economic growth of both countries, he said, expressing the hope that both sides would continue to work towards their great potential and co-operate fully in this area while enriching the Sino-Russian strategic cooperative partnership.

On his part, Kasyanov described his meeting with the Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji as successful and fruitful since they had discussed many key cooperation projects, petroleum and natural gas projects in particular, reached a consensus on a number of issues and signed a series of documents.

The meeting had also implemented the spirit and principles of the Russia-China Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation as well as the consensus reached by the presidents of the two countries, he acknowledged.

Speaking highly of Russia-China bilateral ties, Kasyanov stressed that the treaty is of historic significance and provides guidance for the development of the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership in the 21st century.

Russia will become all the more enthusiastic to cooperate with China, so as to lift the bilateral partnership into a new high, he added.

On Thursday, Premier Zhu Rongji and Kasyanov held the seventh regular meeting between the two countries' prime ministers in Shanghai.

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2002)