President of the People’S Republic of China Xi Jinping (retranslated): Once again, I would like to welcome you, my dear friend, President Putin, on your visit to China.
In February, we had a successful meeting in Sochi. We set the targets for promoting Russian-Chinese relations for the subsequent period and gave a good start to the development of bilateral relations this year. In the time after the February meeting, the intergovernmental commission of our two states has been actively working to implement our agreements. Some significant progress has been made and a lot of work has been done to prepare this meeting.
After the negotiations, we will sign an important statement that will demonstrate our intention to strengthen mutual support, expand cooperation and improve the coordination of our diplomatic efforts to raise our relations, our cooperation and partnership to a higher level.
A number of important agreements and contracts have been signed in our presence. Your current visit will be very fruitful. The further development of Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation based on mutual interest and dictated by the need to promote justice and equality in the world, maintain peace on the planet, by the need to achieve the joint prosperity of China and Russia, is an inevitable choice that proceeds from the process of forming a multi-polar world. This policy finds the support of the broadest communities within our countries. We need to support and strengthen our efforts. We should not be satisfied with our achievements, but rather consistently work for greater success in our cooperation.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, our Chinese friends,
In an atmosphere of trust and friendship, we have just had an exchange of views on the development of bilateral relations and international issues. Now, as we meet in expanded format, we have the opportunity to hear our colleagues. However, even after the first part of our conversation it is clear to all that our countries have made an enormous effort to bring our relations to an absolutely new level of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.
China is firmly occupying the position of our leading trade partner. Trade turnover between our countries in 2013 grew by almost 2 percent to reach $90 billion. This positive tendency continues with the growth in the first quarter of this year of another 2 percent. If we maintain these rates, by 2015 we will reach a $100 billion mark and continue moving ahead.
At the same time, we expect quantitative indexes to be accompanied by change in the quality of our trade and economic relations. This requires expanding mutual investment. The first Russian-Chinese EXPO to be held this summer in Harbin is to serve this very goal. We also invite our Chinese friends to become our partner nation at INNOPROM 2015, the major international industrial trade fair in Russia, to be held in Yekaterinburg in July 2015.
We should improve the structure of our trade with an accent on such high technology areas as civil aviation, space industry and nuclear power.
We are successfully implementing a number of projects in the humanitarian sphere. 2012 was the year of Russian Tourism in China, and 2013 – the Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia. We have also launched a new important project – the Year of Youth Exchanges. Progress is being made on the program to establish a branch of Moscow State University in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. An intergovernmental agreement to simplify mutual travel for our citizens came into effect on April 26.
Mr President, my friend, you and I have said on numerous occasions that Russian-Chinese cooperation has become an important factor of international stability. Our cooperation within the United Nations and other international organisations is acquiring ever more significance. We will continue promoting the development of regional ties, including within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Thank you.
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