China poses no danger to Russia, Medvedev says

MOSCOW, Oct. 26 -- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said here Saturday that China poses no danger to Russia, and bilateral cooperation between the two countries will bring mutual benefit.

China, the world's second largest economy, is Russia's strategic partner, Medvedev said in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel, adding that Moscow should cooperate with Beijing on high technology.

"Why should we fear them. They are our neighbors," the prime minister said after ending a two-day visit to China on Wednesday.

During Medvedev's visit, Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft signed an agreement with China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) to supply 10 million tons of crude oil each year for a decade starting from 2014.

Rosneft also signed a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to line out principles for a joint-venture oil refinery set up in China's northern port city of Tianjin.

"It means that they will work on it and we will also do this," Russia state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Medvedev as saying.