A wonderful year of understanding and growth

China's ambassador to Russia Liu Guchang: Cooperation with Russia in energy is important.

This is how China's ambassador to Russia Liu Guchang describes the "Year of China" in Russia. The yearlong event has deepened and enriched bilateral ties in fields such as politics, trade, culture and people-to-people exchange, Liu says. His remarks came just before Premier Wen Jiabao reached Russia on an official visit yesterday. Vice-Premier Wu Yi, too, is in Moscow to ensure a grand end to the "Year of China" in Russia.

Wen and his Russian counterpart Viktor Zubkov will attend the second Sino-Russian business summit, as well as the closing ceremony of the "Year of China" in Russia in the Kremlin today. Liu says the two countries are likely to sign more than 10 cooperation agreements in sectors such as energy, finance and hi-tech during Wen's visit. Wen's six-day visit to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Russia is the first by a top Chinese leader after the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that concluded last month, and hence is of utmost importance especially for Sino-Russian relations.

The key issue in Sino-Russian ties is how to enhance strategic coordination and substantive cooperation in various fields and deal with the situation across the globe, Liu says. Sino-Russian strategic partnership has entered its second decade this year. So the next 10 years will be very important both for the evolving international situation and the development of bilateral ties.

Liu is confident that Wen's visit will expedite the implementation of the goals agreed to by President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin in March.

Liu says the programs held in the theme year have boosted bilateral trade and economic activities, with the two sides striking deals worth several billions of dollars. Bilateral trade volume reached $34.9 billion in the first nine months of this year, exceeding the figure for the whole of last year. In fact, this year's total trade volume is expected to cross $40 billion.

Thanks to the "Year of Russia" in China and the subsequent "Year of China" in Russia, the attitude of more and more people across the border has become positive towards the rapid development of one another's country, Liu says. Also, it has made people aware of the importance of deepening pragmatic cooperation and taking more interest in one another's society and the latest developments.

"I was glad to see an All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center poll recently that showed China was the friendliest country in the eyes of the Russian people." Liu often meets people in Russia who have a friendly disposition toward the Chinese. And on his trips back to Beijing, many organizations invite him to talk about Russia.

"Though the increasing love and respect between the two peoples are the inevitable result of the development of bilateral ties, the two national yearlong events have obviously played an important role in promoting such a friendship."

China and Russia have jointly organized more than 500 programs under their two yearlong events, Liu says. The two sides have agreed to regularize some activities of the national year programs, with 2009 being declared the "Year of Russian Language" in China and 2010 the "Year of Chinese Language" in Russia.

Liu was invited to attend the 17th CPC National Congress as a non-voting delegate. He says that "shows the great importance the Chinese government and people attach to the development of Sino-Russian ties. Not many ambassadors were invited. I was because I am the country's ambassador to Russia". The 17th CPC National Congress will have a positive effect on Sino-Russian ties, opening up new vistas for cooperation, Liu says.

Bilateral cooperation in energy is very important for Sino-Russian strategic partnership. It is "the trend of the times", Liu says. "The stable growth and opening up of the Chinese energy market and the rapid increase in oil exploration and findings in Russia's Far East region are good for energy cooperation."

Though transporting oil through railway from Russia to China is going on quite well, Liu hopes the two neighbors would step up efforts to build pipelines. "The East Siberia-Pacific pipeline is progressing smoothly. The technical feasibility study on a line branching off into China is complete." Preparations are now on to get Russia to agree to a branch pipeline.

The two countries are interested in electricity, too, says Liu. In fact, Russia supplied about 530 million kilowatt-hours to China's border areas last year. In July, China began building facilities to prepare for the expansion of Sino-Russian electricity cooperation.

The first phase of Tianwan nuclear power plant in East China's Jiangsu Province is a major China-Russia trade and economic cooperation project, he says. Thanks to the concerted efforts of both sides, units I and II of the first phase went into operation in May and August this year. They're running smoothly now. And Liu cites the success of the venture to predict a rosy future for Sino-Russian nuclear power cooperation.

(China Daily 11/06/2007 page6)