On the evening of September 14, local time, Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), who is on an official goodwill visit to Russia, met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

Wu first conveyed greetings from Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao to Putin, who expressed thanks and asked Wu to convey his good wishes to President Hu and Premier Wen.

Wu said China-Russia relations have entered a new period of rapid, in-depth development. The heads of state of the two countries signed the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation in 2001, which laid a solid political and legal basis for the two countries to remain good neighbors, good partners and good friends forever. "Sino-Russian relationship has seen unprecedented progress and bilateral cooperation in various fields has reached an unprecedented level over the past decade", said Wu. These achievements effectively promoted the two countries' development and revitalization and contributed to world peace, stability and development. Given the complex and volatile international situation, Wu said it is of vital importance to enhance Sino-Russian strategic trust and cooperation for safeguarding core interests of both countries, such as sovereignty, security and development. "China will as always make Sino-Russian relations as its foreign policy priority and treat bilateral ties from a strategic height and long-term perspective," said Wu, adding China is ready to make joint efforts with Russia to deepen bilateral ties, better maintain common interests of both countries and bring benefits to the two peoples.

Wu said China-Russia economic and trade cooperation is a dynamic material basis for comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. China and Russia, as the world's major emerging economies and important neighbors, enjoy complementary advantages in areas such as capital, technology, market and human resources and they have a sound basis for bilateral cooperation. Russia's development strategy through to 2020 and China's "12th Five Year Plan" have provided a broader stage for further deepening bilateral pragmatic cooperation. Both sides should seize the new opportunities brought about by the rapid development of both countries, deepen pragmatic cooperation in all areas and build a close long-term and sustainable economic and trade relationship based on their respective domestic development strategies. To this end, Wu raised the following proposals. First, the two countries should expand trade scale and improve trade mix. They should promote cooperation in major projects as well as industrial cooperation, and expand trade on mechanical/electrical and high- tech products in a bid to meet the target of increasing trade to 100 billion U.S. dollars by 2015 and 200 billion U.S. dollars by 2020, said Wu. Second, the two countries should deepen energy cooperation and strive to establish energy cooperation partnership by speeding up construction of national gas pipelines, securing stable operation of crude oil pipelines and facilitate cooperation on nuclear power, coal, electricity and new energy. Third, both sides should enhance high-tech cooperation. They can encourage enterprises to carry out scientific and technological cooperation, especially leading, proactive technical cooperation, through joint research and development, building demonstration projects, expanding mutual investment and other ways. Wu also urged both sides to accelerate the application of scientific and technological achievements based on the construction of science and technology industrial parks, and foster new cooperation growth points. Fourth, both sides should further expand and deepen regional cooperation by increasing cross-border infrastructure construction and studying the possibility of setting up trade cooperation zones.

Putin fully agreed with Chairman Wu's comments on bilateral ties and proposals on deepening economic and trade cooperation. He said China is Russia's reliable cooperation partner and both sides have conducted fruitful cooperation in all areas, adding that it is important to further lift the level of Russia-China strategic cooperation under current circumstances. Russia attaches great importance to relations with China and would like to work with China to facilitate friendly exchanges between governments, parliaments and parties, take the promotion of economic and trade cooperation as an important part of deepening strategic coordination and boost bilateral ties in a comprehensive way, said Putin.

Vice Chairman and Secretary General Li Jianguo of China's NPC Standing Committee and other officials attended the meeting.