Reaping the benefits of two glorious years

Since President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin initiated the Chinese and Russian national years in 2005, a series of events have stimulated the all-round development of bilateral ties and provided an example of how major world nations can cooperate and be good neighbors.

Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Russia, starting on Monday, will mark the end of the "Year of China" in Russia, the second of two national years.

At the closing ceremony of the "Year of China", Wen said the Chinese and Russian national years were an important part of building the China-Russia strategic partnership of cooperation and a pioneering project in the history of the countries' relationship.

With more than 500 activities held over the two national years, they have achieved the objective of promoting political trust and pragmatic cooperation between the two countries. As well as bearing abundant fruit, the Chinese and Russian national years have written a glorious new chapter in the history of bilateral ties.

The new model of cooperation between the countries created by the national years will become a jewel in China-Russia relations.

The curtains will be lowered, but a platform has been erected for substantial cooperation in the future.

When Presidents Hu and Putin met in Russia in 2005 they decided to hold the "Year of Russia" in China in 2006, and the reciprocal "Year of China" in Russia in 2007, in a bid to push forward their strategic partnership of cooperation.

The two leaders exchanged letters of congratulation early last year and kicked off the national theme years, which included more than 500 activities in various fields such as politics, economics, culture, the military, education, science and technology, and healthcare.

Political trust enhanced

Both Hu and Putin attended the opening ceremonies of the two theme years in the Hall of the People in Beijing and the Kremlin in Moscow. They regarded the national years as pioneer projects for further efforts to boost bilateral ties.

The two presidents and senior government officials have exchanged visits frequently in the two years. The regular meetings of prime ministers and contact between parliaments and political parties have also helped enhance the political trust between the two neighbors.

China and Russia have also coordinated their actions in multilateral frameworks such as at the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The two countries have supported each other on major issues that concern their individual core interests and have made joint efforts to preserve global strategic balance and world peace and stability.

Liu Guchang, Chinese ambassador to Russia, said bilateral exchanges and cooperation in political, economic, trade, cultural and educational sectors were deepened and enriched thanks to the successful national years, which have fueled the development of a strategic partnership of cooperation.

Sergei Razov, Russian ambassador to China, also hailed the smooth development of bilateral ties, saying the five meetings between Hu and Putin this year had greatly promoted the development of the political relationship.

Business cooperation expanded

The national years have also built a platform for the Chinese and Russian economies to further explore their reciprocal potential and expand cooperation.

In 2006, the "Year of Russia" in China, bilateral trade volume reached a record high of $33.4 billion, up 15 percent on the previous year.

And in the first nine months of this year, bilateral trade surged to $34.9 billion, surpassing the total trade volume of 2006.

Both China and Russia have estimated the figure for the whole year is very likely to surpass $40 billion, a new record high.

Some 30 joint economic and trade projects have been launched under the framework of the "Year of China", covering energy, investment, finance, telecoms and transportation.

Currently, there are 20 economic projects jointly funded by the two countries under way in 12 Russian regions, with a total contract volume of $5.5 billion, according to Russian business leaders.

China is now Russia's third largest trade partner and Russia is China's eighth largest.

Cultural contacts strengthened

The Russian-Chinese cultural and educational exchange is an important part of the strategic partnership of cooperation. The cultural and educational activities in the national years have boosted mutual understanding and consolidated the friendship between the two peoples.

Delegations from China's Tibet, Hubei, Zhejiang, Hainan, Beijing and Shanghai hosted dozens of activities in Russia this year, including concerts, song and dance performances, exhibitions and screenings of Chinese movies, according to the Moscow-based Chinese information and media center.

Ding Xiaoming, director of the center, said: "All the activities were local and unique, which helped Russians to get a better knowledge of China."

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said: "The national years stimulated the whole socio-economic interaction between Russia and China.

Xinhua

(China Daily 11/07/2007 page6)