China is ready to join Russia to further tighten political mutual trust and support each other on issues relating to state sovereignty and territory integrity, President Hu Jintao said in Moscow Thursday.  

In a meeting Thursday afternoon with Sergei Mironov, chairman of the Federation Council of Russia, Hu said strengthening of China-Russia strategic coordination is conducive to both sides to facing up to new threats and new challenges, and to safeguarding common interests, against the current international and regional complicated yet changeable situation.

Speaking highly of the continuous new progress in bilateral relations, Hu said with concerted efforts of both sides, China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination has sustained a good momentum of development and scored satisfactory achievements.

The two countries should continue to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the trade sector, improve trade structures, expand mutual investment and promote cooperation on big projects, he said.

He stated the two sides should also further expand and deepen humanitarian cooperation, enhance media exchanges, foster friendly sentiment among the youths and increase mutual understanding and trust of the two peoples.

In recent years, Hu said the National People's Congress, China's parliament, has undertaken exchanges with the Russian Federation Council, which has formulated a good exchange mechanism and served to play an important role in promoting the state-to-state ties.

Hu hoped leaders of the two countries' parliaments and various special committees maintain contacts, increase mutual understanding, and give full play to the parliaments' role in enhancing the state-to-state ties, especially the role of laying down a solid legal foundation for bilateral cooperation.

He also hoped both sides undertake multilateral and multi-channel exchanges and do more practical things for mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to contribute more to new progress in China-Russia relations.

In an in-depth discussion with Mironov on regional cooperation, Hu said the neighboring regions linking the two nations have cherished a fast development in cooperation, in which 67 pairs of friendly cities, provinces and regions have been established and nine pairs have forged trade ties.

As China is in full swing with the strategies to develop its west regions and invigorate the industrial bases in the northeast, he said, the Russian side is also putting forward proposals to open up its far east and the Siberian region.

Thus both sides should coordinate their regional development strategy, take full advantage of each other's strong points and undertake mutually beneficial cooperation, in a bid to realize common development, the president said.

Mironov said Hu's visit would serve to play an important role in promoting, in a comprehensive way, bilateral friendly cooperation, strengthening mutual coordination on international affairs and safeguarding the world peace.

He fully agreed upon Hu's proposals on further tightening exchanges and cooperation between the legislative bodies and regions of the two nations, saying he deemed there exist broad prospects for economic and trade cooperation among regions of the two nations.

He stressed his council would make more contributions to the overall development of Russia-China relations.

In the evening, Hu met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on expansion of bilateral cooperation in various sectors.

Besides Moscow, Hu will also visit Novosibirsk, Russia's third largest city after Moscow and St. Petersburg. And the two countries will sign a number of cooperation agreements during Hu's visit.

Hu arrived here earlier Thursday for a four-day state visit.

The Chinese president will next visit Kazakhstan, the second leg of his ongoing three-nation tour, which will also take him to the UK where he will attend the G8+5 summit.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2005)