The official website for the "Year of China" in Russia in 2007 formally opened on Monday.

 

The website, in both Chinese and Russian, will cover all the activities the leaders of China and Russia attend, and exchanges between the two countries in politics, trade, culture, education, health, sports, media, science and technology and military issues during the "Year of China".

 

The website will contain a dozen programs including news, important activities, authoritative interviews, news photographs, video programs, netizen discussions, on-line researches, media comments and overseas feedbacks, according to its operator, the Xinhua News Agency and Xinhua Website.

 

The website can be accessed at www.2007china.org.

 

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged New Year’s greetings on Sunday, and announced the start of "the Year of China" in Russia.

 

Hu said the "Year of China" in Russia will deepen traditional friendship between the two peoples and will play an active role in strengthening relations between the two countries.

 

In July 2005, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly announced that the Year of Russia would be held in 2006 in China and the Year of China would be held in 2007 in Russia.

 

The activities represent an important advance in Sino-Russian relations, which will further the development of bilateral relations, said Hu in a New Year message to Putin on Dec. 31 of 2005.

 

During the Year of Russia in China, which was launched in March 2006, more than 250 events have been held in trade, investment and cultural fields.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2007)