President, Putin hail yearlong exchange

President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin each sent congratulatory messages on Wednesday to the opening ceremony of the Year of China-Russia Local Cooperation and Exchange.

In Xi's message, the president said he and Putin jointly agreed to hold the event through 2019.

The important event is expected to invigorate the local-level cooperation between the two countries and encourage more enterprises and people to engage in the common development of China and Russia, Xi said.