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Vice Premier of the State Council of the People’S Republic of China Li Keqiang (translated from Russian): Mr President,
It is a great pleasure to meet with little more than a month since we last met. I wish you welcome to China on this state visit and in order to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Beijing summit.
We met recently during my official visit to Russia, during which you and other Russian senior officials showed me great hospitality. I thank you very much for this.
I know that you are in the midst of a series of brief visits abroad, but you are spending more time in China, and I think this demonstrates the importance you attach to developing Chinese-Russian relations.
By the way, I read with attention your article in Renmin Ribao yesterday, in which you give a deep strategic analysis of the different areas of our cooperation, and I agree with much of what you said.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: It is a great pleasure to be here in friendly China. We do indeed have a very full programme of work together with our Chinese partners, including with the government. This is only natural, given the strategic nature of our relations, which are distinguished by genuine friendship and partnership, and the big amount of cooperation between us.
As President Hu Jintao and I noted yesterday, we have trade turnover of $83.5 billion, which is a decent figure. I am sure we can soon increase it to $100 billion or $200 billion. We have big plans in many areas of cooperation, and I know better than anyone just what a big part both countries’ governments play in this work.
I am sure that the 17th meeting of our two countries’ prime ministers in Moscow this autumn will give a big boost to further developing our bilateral ties. It is a great pleasure to continue the personal contacts I have with you and your colleagues.
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