On the afternoon of September 16, local time, Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), who is in Russia for an official goodwill visit, met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at Skolkovo innovation center, Russia's Silicon Valley. The two sides exchanged in-depth views and reached important consensus in a cordial and friendly atmosphere on how to strengthen pragmatic cooperation and keep closer strategic coordination as well as major international issues of common concern.

Wu first conveyed the cordial greetings from Chinese President Hu Jintao to Medvedev. He said the current visit is his fourth tour to Russia as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC). Each time he has deeply felt the profound friendship of the Russian people towards the Chinese people and felt the strong aspiration of the Russian government, the Russian Federal Assembly and different social sectors to develop Sino-Russian cooperation. The NPC is ready to tap its advantages and features to increase friendly exchanges and cooperation with the Russian Federal Council and State Duma and make new contributions to enriching China-Russia relations and enhancing the level of strategic cooperation.

Medvedev asked Wu to convey his good wishes to President Hu Jintao. He said that in recent years, Russia and China have maintained close high-level exchanges and cooperation in all areas has enjoyed comprehensive and rapid development and achieved significant results. The Russian side is satisfied with the good development momentum of bilateral relations. Russia regards China as the most important strategic cooperative partner and to develop friendly cooperative relations with China is Russia's firm stance. Russia is ready to work together with China to continue to strengthen all-round cooperation, better promote their respective development and revitalization, and bring more well-being to the two people.

"To boost cooperation on technological innovation is an important element in reaching the target which the two heads of state have set for the next decade," Wu said. Cooperation on technological innovation was not only conducive to the implementation of each other's domestic development strategy, but also helpful for their joint efforts to handle increasingly severe technological competition in the world, said Wu. Wu suggested the two countries make full use of cooperation mechanisms to strengthen overall planning, select the right cooperation projects and focus on cooperation on emerging strategic industries. By relying on the construction of science and technology industrial parks, both sides should speed up transformation of scientific and technological achievements into practical productive forces, promote the adjustment of their economic structures and advance industrial optimization and upgrading. Echoing Wu's remarks, Medvedev said the establishment of the Skolkovo innovation center was an important measure for bolstering the development of Russia's high-tech industry. He welcomed Chinese enterprises' active participation and hoped the two countries would expand cooperation on investment and technological innovation to create new opportunities for their trade cooperation.

Wu and Medvedev also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. They said the two countries had conducted active and effective coordination on international affairs, which is an important part of bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. In the current complex and volatile international situation, the two sides should enhance strategic cooperation on such major issues as global economic governance, climate change and the fight against the "three evil forces" according to the spirit of the joint statement on the current international situation and on major international issues between China and Russia. The two leaders also agreed to strengthen coordination within such multilateral mechanisms as the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS in a bid to safeguard their common interests and establish a more just and reasonable international political and economic order.

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