A Chinese writer finished a book of 54 poems remembering the sailors who died in Russian Kursk submarine accident in 2000 and presented the book to the Russian Embassy in Beijing on Friday.

Mao Xiupu, a writer from Qingdao city of Shandong Province in east China, said at the presentation ceremony that he was once a sailor in the navy and he loves Russian culture and literature very much.

"The poems in the book have expressed my deep grief over the death of the Russian soldiers and the sympathy of the Chinese people for the Russian people," said Mao.

Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov thanked Mao for his book, saying it is a significant and touching book which will help consolidate and deepen the mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of China and Russia.

The book, named "Elegies for Kursk", includes 54 poems, with the theme of lauding China-Russia friendship and appealing for love between nations. The book is both in Chinese and Russian.

The Kursk sank during a military exercise in the Barents Sea on August 12 of 2000 after an explosion ripped through the vessel. All 118 sailors aboard the submarine perished.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2006)