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China-Russia Cooperation Meeting Convened in Beijing
China-Russia Cooperation Meeting Convened in Beijing
The second Plenary Session of the China-Russia Cooperation Committee on Education, Culture, Health and Sports was convened Friday afternoon in Beijing.
The meeting, co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Li Lanqing, who is the committee's Chinese Chair, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister V. I. Matviyenko, the committee's Russian Chair, reviewed the committee's work in the past and made plans for the future.
During the meeting, Li thanked the Russian government and people as well as Matviyenko for their efforts done for Beijing's successful bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
Noting that China and Russia boast vast potential for cooperation in various fields, Li said China is delighted to see that the political, economic and social basis for bilateral good- neighborly friendship and cooperation has been built up steadily, bilateral cooperation and exchanges have developed rapidly and mutual trust has been enhanced.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin, during his successful visit to Russia in July, and Russian President Vladimir Putin worked out long-term plans on Sino-Russian development prospects, exchanged in-depth views on the current and imminent major regional and international issues, and reached wide-ranging consensus, said Li.
The Sino-Russian good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation signed by Jiang and Putin is a milestone in the development of bilateral relations. The treaty, in the spirit of peace and aimed at bilateral friendship from generation to generation and never targeting each other as enemies, has laid a firm legal foundation for the two countries to be life-long good neighbors, partners and friends, noted Li.
Li pointed out that the treaty, as a new milestone in the development of Sino-Russian relations, will have a positive impact on the long-term development of bilateral good-neighborly friendship and reciprocal cooperation.
Li stressed that the committee will play a unique role in implementing the treaty during the new historical period and under new conditions, and will help promote the exchange of ideas and feelings between the two peoples as well as mutual understanding and trust.
While the committee has four sub-committees, Li said that a new working group on tourism cooperation was set up Friday, and the two governments are set to expand their cooperation in other fields in the future.
Facts have proved that the committee's working system, in line with the framework of regular meetings between prime ministers of the two countries, plays an invaluable role in developing bilateral strategic cooperative partnership and their overall cooperation in specific fields, stressed Li.
He said China is delighted to see that the committee has accomplished a lot since its establishment and that the four sub- committees have held their first meetings, mapped out their cooperative plans, carried out their plans actively, and made remarkable achievements.
Agreeing with Li, Matviyenko said that the meeting, convened after the signing of the treaty and ahead of Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's upcoming visit to Russia for the sixth regular meeting between Chinese and Russian prime ministers, is of great significance.
The Russian side is satisfied with the committee's work, said Matviyenko, adding that she is pleased at the establishment of the bilateral working group on tourism cooperation which has been included in the committee's working mechanism.
She voiced her hope that both sides will strengthen their cooperation, gradually expand their cooperative channels and make concerted efforts for the improvement of the committee's work.
In their plans for future work, Li and Matviyenko agreed that their focus will be put more on creating favorable conditions for the establishment of direct cooperative relations between institutions in specific fields.
They also discussed some specific projects for cooperation and reached consensus.
After the meeting, Li and Matviyenko signed a summary of the meeting.
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