He also told visiting Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji that he would soon send the countries' new friendship treaty to parliament for ratification, calling legislative approval a top priority in bilateral relations, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin signed the treaty in July, solidifying the growing ties between the two countries. The two presidents are due to meet again in October in Shanghai.

Putin said he was ``very satisfied that relations between Russia and China are developing so intensively,'' ITAR-Tass reported. In particular, he praised ``the absolutely positive development of cooperation'' in trade and military-technical cooperation.

Zhu has stressed during the visit -- his fourth to Russia -- that bilateral trade has great potential for growth.

In St. Petersburg last week, Zhu signed several trade agreements including a deal for a feasibility study on a 2,400-kilometer (1,480-mile), US$1.7 billion oil pipeline from Siberia to northeastern China.

Chinese and Russian officials also signed a contract for delivery of five Tu-204 civilian planes to Chinese airlines.

``It's pleasing to us that Chinese specialists have assessed Russian aviation technology as worthy,'' Putin told Zhu, according to ITAR-Tass.

Zhu was scheduled to visit the cosmonauts' training center at Star City, outside Moscow, later on Tuesday.

( chinadaily.com.cn 09/11/2001)