President Hu Jintao praised Sino-Russian relations before his Russia visit that starts today, saying the trip would be fruitful.

Hu made the remarks last week when meeting journalists from Russian media; the contents were released yesterday by Xinhua.

"I believe the visit will bear substantial fruit, and inject impetus into the growth of China-Russia ties and pragmatic cooperation," Hu said.

China and Russia have witnessed big strides in the political, economic, trade, technology and cultural sectors, Hu said, noting that the two nations also coordinate closely on nuclear issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and Iran.

During the three-day visit, Hu will attend the opening ceremony of the Year of China in Russia, a reciprocal event to the Year of Russia held in China last year.

The Year of China in Russia will see some 200 activities staged in the political, economic and cultural spheres.

On the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Hu said it is drafting a legal document on taking in new members after some countries expressed a desire to join the regional body. "This needs to be decided by all SCO members on the basis of consensus through consultations," said Hu.

The SCO, a regional organization founded in 2001, constitutes China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan, Mongolia, Iran and India are observers of the group.

(China Daily 03/26/2007 page1)