Chinese premier's Russia visit to boost all-round cooperation

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrives in St. Petersburg for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and an official visit on Nov 6, 2016. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn

Sergei Luzyanin, director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said new windows of opportunity have been opened for boosting bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, economy, investment, technology and the booming e-commerce industry.

Infrastructure is another promising area for bilateral cooperation, he said, adding that Chinese investment and joint projects are expected to play a huge role in Russia's Siberia and Far East regions.

Moreover, the alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will also give new opportunities to the development of economic and trade ties between China and Russia.

The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The EEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

Li Hui expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing their highly mutually complementary economies and their agreement to coordinate in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the EEU.

Meanwhile, further promoting cooperation in people-to-people and cultural exchanges will be another important aspect of Premier Li's visit.

Frequent people-to-people and cultural exchanges have been witnessed in recent years, analysts said.

China and Russia have held major events such as reciprocal years of languages, tourism, friendly youth and media exchanges, mutual visits of diplomats, journalists, students, as well as art festivals, film weeks and media forums, with the aim of further strengthening mutual understanding and friendship, analysts said.

They believed that on the basis of the already matured people-to-people and cultural cooperation mechanism, the Chinese premier's visit will deepen it with new bilateral agreements in this field.