The visit of President Hu Jintao will help strengthen Russian-Chinese cooperation both in trade and economy, former Russian ambassador to China Igor Rogachev said.

"This official visit of the Chinese president will undoubtedly lead to important political results," Rogachev, who served as ambassador for 13 years and is now a member of the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, said in an interview with Interfax.

"We have very good prospects and we would like these prospects to be more than the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China in Russia. Hopefully, a good basis has been laid in the relations between our countries so that our cooperation extends throughout the entire 21st century," Rogachev said.

Russia and China are genuine strategic partners that jointly address a number of major international political issues, Chairman of the Committee for CIS Affairs of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament Andrei Kokoshin said in an interview with Itar-Tass news agency.

"The visit of President Hu Jintao to Russia is taking place at a time when Russian-Chinese relations have entered a new, higher level of development," Kokoshin said on Monday.

"I can't but say that we have a serious understanding of our interests and mutual respect with regard to the situation in Central Asia and in the post-Soviet space," he said.

"China has repeatedly made it clear that it recognizes the supremacy of Russian interests in this regions and acts there accordingly," Kokoshin added.

Hu arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day state visit to Russia and held talks with Putin and attended the opening ceremony of the "Year of China in Russia" later in the day. The two countries signed a joint statement on ways to further develop the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2007)