The speakers of both houses of the Russian parliament said on Tuesday during meetings with Chinese Supreme Court President Xiao Yang that Russia-China relations are at their best in history and bilateral cooperation has reached a new level.

 

During a meeting with Xiao, Sergei Mironov, speaker of the upper house, the Federation Council, said ties between Russia and China are at their best ever in history and President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China last month was a complete success that helped elevate the ties.

 

China is hosting the Year of Russia, and next year it is Russia's turn to host the Year of China, both of which events serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples, Mironov said.

 

At a separate meeting with Xiao, who arrived Sunday for a visit to Russia, Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the lower house, the State Duma, said President Putin's visit boosted bilateral relations to a new high.

 

Gryzlov also praised the cooperation between the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization since its founding five years ago.

 

Xiao, for his part, said China-Russia relations have witnessed unprecedented progress recently, especially after President Putin's China visit, when Chinese President Hu Jintao and Putin signed a joint statement embodying the extensive common ground between the two countries in the political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological, and judiciary areas.

 

The Chinese top judge said he was visiting Russia to implement the judiciary cooperation set out in the joint statement.

 

On Monday, Xiao held talks with the head of the Russian Supreme Court, Vyacheslav Lebedev, and put forward proposals that included establishing a judiciary cooperation mechanism and boosting cooperation in cracking down cross-border crimes, in particular financial crimes, drug trafficking, money laundering and fighting corruption.

 

Lebedev briefed Xiao on the measures the Russian Supreme Court is taking in protecting intellectual property rights, cracking down drug trafficking and money laundering, as well as improving judiciary transparency.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2006)