Xi's Russia visit confirms continuity of ties

MOSCOW - Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow confirmed continuity of the strategic partnership between Russia and China, a high-ranking Russian diplomat said Wednesday.

Xi's March visit to Moscow was a "landmark" event in Russia-China ties, said Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.

Morgulov said that by choosing Russia as his debut foreign trip destination, Xi demonstrated the "special relations" between Russia and China and the attention given by the two administrations to the ties.

The meeting between the newly elected Chinese president and Russian President Vladimir Putin was held under "friendly atmosphere," Morgulov told the Interfax news agency.

The diplomat said the two leaders vowed to strengthen their personal contacts in the future.

Meanwhile, a strategic task facing the two partners now is to "convert political mutual understanding and mutual trust into specific cooperation results in practical areas," Morgulov said.

To reach this goal, China and Russia should should strengthen their business ties and diversify their bilateral trade structure, increase mutual investment and facilitate cooperation in the fields of energy, forestry, agriculture and environmental protection, Morgulov said. Morgulov also highlighted Russia-China high-tech cooperation, which includes space, aircraft construction and innovation.

The diplomat said the two countries also are considering the enhancement of interregional and cross-border relations and improving their transborder transport infrastructure.

Besides bilateral relations, Russia and China coordinated closely in the world arena over major international issues, which served to stability and development in the world and a fair and democratic world order, Morgulov said.