The future prospects of Russian-Chinese relations were discussed.
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Member of the Standing Committee of the Cpc Central Committee Politburo He Guoqiang (translated from Russian): We know that you have a busy schedule today, but you have nevertheless found the time to meet with us. We really appreciate it.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Just two days ago, I met with President Hu Jintao, but you have not seen him in a long time. I want to pass on his greetings and warmest wishes to you. He made a very interesting and substantive speech at the G20 summit.
You and I saw each other just recently in Beijing. I recall how we had a very meaningful discussion on Russia and China’s bilateral and development problems. It is a real pleasure to see you in St Petersburg at the International Economic Forum. Thank you for taking the time to come.
In your speech, you practically confirmed the strategic nature of the relations between Russia and China. And I know that these are not empty words – neither on the Chinese nor the Russian side. We have done an enormous amount to truly implement the strategic nature of our relations in a real way. And the results of the recent talks in Beijing during my visit to China speak to the fact that we have good prospects. We are very happy to see you.
He Guoqiang (translated from Russian): First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the successful opening of your Forum. You made a very important speech and I listened to you very carefully. I would like to talk about your speech – it was a very important speech since you officially took office as President. You touched mainly on three important issues.
First, you confirmed your confidence in the transformations and listed real, concrete steps. Second, you spoke about China several times, so you are giving significant attention to developing cooperation with our nation. And third, you confirmed your commitment to fighting corruption; since this is what I deal with in my country, I was very happy to hear about it. Thus, I really enjoyed it.
I would like to give a high assessment to your recent visit to China. During your visit, you and our President Hu Jintao reached important agreements on many issues. During your visit, six of the nine members of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Politburo met with you. This happens very rarely in our foreign policy practice. It also demonstrates the high level of attention given to your visit by the Chinese side.
And my visit now is the first visit of our nation’s high delegation since your official inauguration as President of the Russian Federation, as well as the first visit by the high delegation of our party. So our goal is to implement the agreements reached by our heads of state.
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