News Analysis: Putin's diplomatic strategy becomes more pragmatic

MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday held his eighth press conference on major domestic issues and foreign relations in 12 years and the first of its kind since his return to the Kremlin this May.

Putin, in front of some 1,200 Russian and foreign journalists, started off by reviewing the results achieved in economic and social spheres in the country.

During his direct conversation with reporters, which lasted four and a half hours, the president outlined his ideas on domestic and international issues.

Russian analysts said Putin's answers indicated that his diplomatic strategy in his third presidency has become more pragmatic as Moscow intends to get closer to the east and mend ties with countries at variances.

CHINA-RUSSIA TIES AT HIGHEST LEVEL

Putin said China-Russia relations are at the highest level in history, when answering Xinhua's question about how he sees bilateral ties between the two countries.

Russia looks forward to developing joint projects with China in areas such as big-hull civilian aircraft manufacturing, Putin said, adding that bilateral cooperation in investment and finance were also very promising.

"This is obvious that Russia-China relations have developed at a fast pace this year. They were at the highest level ever and they keep going in that direction," Yakov Berger, a professor at Russia's Far East Institute, told Xinhua.

Putin also set new goals to bolster China-Russian relations, suggesting that some part of the countries' bilateral trade would be conducted in national currencies.

"Relationship with China is the best example of what two countries could achieve if both of them want it. Still, there are the new challenges in bilateral relations, because traditional structure of their economic exchanges became insufficient," said Alexander Fedorovsky, an expert from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of Russian Academy of Science.

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