The First Chinese-Russian Women's Culture Week will be held in Beijing and Shanghai from June 17 to 23, sources with the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) said on Thursday.

A delegation of 52 Russian women from all walks of life has been invited to attend the festival.

The culture week, aimed at strengthening friendship and cooperation between the people of China and Russia, was an important event on the agenda of the Sino-Russian Friendship Committee for Peace and Development.

The festival will include singing and dancing performances, arts exhibitions, as well as climbing the Great Wall of China.

An ACWF official said Chinese and Russian women had engaged in all-round communication and cooperation in recent years, helping to boost the relationship between the two peoples and their governments.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2002)