Vladimir Putin congratulated Jiang Zemin, Chairman of the People's Republic of China, on the 53rd anniversary of the republic 2002-10-01 00:00:00 The congratulatory message said, in part: “The experience of the past decades confirms the vitality of the course for strengthening Russian-Chinese friendship and developing an equal trust-based dialogue. The interstate treaty signed by our two countries has laid a solid foundation for this, which certainly meets the vital interests of the Russian and Chinese peoples. “In the 21st century, the Russia-China strategic partnership is becoming a major factor in international relations. I hope that the upcoming Russian-Chinese summit talks in December will be another tangible contribution by our countries to security, stability and progress in Asia and the world.”