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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, Chinese friends, it is a great pleasure to see you in Russia, in its far-eastern part this time, here in Vladivostok.
We have had many occasions now to note the high level of bilateral relations we have achieved. Mr President, much of the credit here goes to your personal position and the attention you have paid to developing our ties. We feel the Chinese leadership and people’s commitment to building ties with our country.
We have the opportunity today to discuss our bilateral relations and the situation in the region. Tomorrow we will attend the APEC summit, where you are due to deliver the first speech. I hope you will set a good and business-like tone for the whole discussion.
It is a great pleasure to see our friends here, to see you here, Mr President. I wish you welcome.
President of China Hu Jintao (retranslated): My old friend Vladimir Putin, my Russian friends, it is a great pleasure to see you again after our last meeting three months ago. I am very grateful for your warm invitation and for the sincere reception my colleagues and I have seen.
Since arriving yesterday, I see that you have built a whole new district here, as well as the magnificent bridge spanning the strait. I think this not only shows just how much attention and care you and the Russian government have put into the APEC summit, but speaks of Russia’s great development potential. I am sure that your chairmanship and our joint efforts will all contribute to ensuring a successful summit.