Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong met in Beijing Wednesday with the Russian members of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development (CRFCPD) which was headed by Leonid Drachevsky, the CRFCPD's chairman on the Russian side.

Zeng said that in the past decade, China-Russia friendly cooperation has maintained positive development and scored fruitful achievement.

During his visit to Russia last May, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached the consensus of creating a new situation for the development of the China-Russia relations, which is of vital significance to the development of bilateral ties in the new century, Zeng said.

Zeng noted that the CRFCPD has played an important role in increasing mutual understanding and trust, promoting friendly communication and cooperation, and expanding the social basis for the China-Russia relations.

The Chinese leadership and government will continue to support the work of the CRFCPD, said the vice-president.

Briefing Zeng on the fifth plenum of the CRFCPD, which was convened here earlier Wednesday, Drachevsky said Russian CRFCPD members have all realized that it is a glorious mission in promoting the Russia-China friendship.

Drachevsky, also Russian President's Representatives to the Siberian federal district, said Russian CRFCPD members will strive for strengthening the communication and cooperation between various walks of two countries and deepening mutual understanding and trust of both peoples.

All these efforts are aimed to "push forward the sustained and steady expansion of the Russia-China strategic cooperative partnership", Drachevsky noted.

The CRFCPD consists of about 30 prestigious diplomats, scientists and business people from China and Russia, aiming at promoting non-governmental cooperation between the two countries.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2003)