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Premier Wen meets Russian govt heads in Moscow
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-28 09:48

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived here on Monday for an official visit aimed at strengthening China's strategic partnership with Russia.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R, front) is greeted upon his arrival at the airport in Moscow, capital of Russia, Oct. 27, 2008. [Xinhua] 

The Chinese premier said he will also exchange views with Medvedev and parliament leaders on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

Wen said he believed this visit will help promote bilateral political mutual trust, deepen their substantial and strategic cooperation, enhance the mutual understanding and traditional friendship between the two peoples, and inject new vigor into the sustained, sound and steady growth of bilateral relationship.

Russia is the first leg of Wen's two-nation tour, which will also take him to Kazakhstan on Oct. 29.

In Astana, capital city of Kazakhstan, Wen will attend the 7th prime ministers' meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries. His visit will end on Oct. 31.

Regular meeting mechanism between two governments

The following are basic facts about the mechanism of regular meetings between Chinese and Russian premiers.

In April 1996, then Chinese President Jiang Zemin and then Russian President Boris Yeltsin agreed to establish a mechanism of regular meetings between the two countries' premiers, which was officially started by former Chinese Premier Li Peng's visit to Russia in December,1996.

The regular meeting mechanism consists of three parts -- the premiers' meeting, cultural cooperation and energy resources negotiation.

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With full-scale organizations and broad areas concerned, the mechanism is of the highest standard in China's foreign relations.

The mechanism has played an important role in enhancing good-neighborly, friendly and mutually beneficial relations between the two countries, and promoting sound development of the China-Russia strategic partnership of cooperation.

Twelve regular meetings have been held since the establishment of this mechanism. Major contents and fruits of recent regular meetings include:

On September 8, 2001, then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji participated in the sixth regular meeting of China-Russian premiers in St. Petersburg at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov. The two sides signed the Joint Communique of the Sixth Regular Meeting of China-Russian Heads of Government.

On August 22, 2002, then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov held the seventh regular meeting in Shanghai. The two premiers had in-depth exchange of views on issues including deepening coordination, counter-terrorism and easing regional tensions.

On September 9, 2003, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov attended the eighth meeting in Beijing. The two sides agreed that as breakthroughs had been made in the cooperation of economy and trade, bilateral cooperation in cultural fields should also be expanded.

On September 9, 2004, the ninth regular meeting was held in Moscow. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Fradkov reviewed achievements made in China-Russia cooperation since the eighth regular meeting, studied measures to solve existing problems and put forward plans for future cooperation.

On November 3, 2005, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and then Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov held the 10th regular meeting in Beijing. The two sides signed a series of documents on strengthening cooperation in various fields and issued a joint communique of the meeting.

On November 9, 2006, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and then Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov participated in the 11th regular meeting and the closing ceremony of Year of Russia in Beijing. The two signed 17 documents ranging from energy cooperation to the communication of media.

On November 6, 2007, the 12th regular meeting was held in Moscow. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and then Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov signed a joint communique and attended the signing ceremony of a series of documents on furthering cooperation.

 

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