Chinese Defense Minister Meets Russian GuestChinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian met Tuesday with Andrei Kokoshin, a member of the Russian state Duma, and former Russian deputy defense minister and secretary of the security council.Chi, also vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and a state councilor, expressed appreciation for Kokoshin's contribution to developing the Sino-Russia relations when he was at post. Chi said that the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation has been promoted with the common concern of Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Sino-Russian cooperation in international affairs has been fruitful. Under the new international situation, Chi said, the continuity of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation conforms to the fundamental interest of the two peoples, and is conducive to safeguarding peace and stability of the Asian-Pacific region and the world as a whole. He said that along with the development of the relations between the two countries, the Sino-Russian military ties, including the contacts between Chinese and Russian defense ministries, have maintained stable and healthy development. Kokoshin said he is pleased to see the great achievements China has made since it pursued the reform policy, saying he will continue to push forward the Russia-China ties in a stable and healthy way. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |