Putin in Beijing for state visit

today and tomorrow.
In addition to talks with Hu, Putin is scheduled to meet with Chinese leaders including Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress; Premier Wen Jiabao; Vice President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Li Keqiang.According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Putin chose China as one of the first nations to visit in his third term as president, which shows relations between Russia and China have reached unprecedented high levels.
Top leaders of the two countries are expected to discuss the expansion of bilateral cooperation in various fields, Lavrov said in an interview.
Officials from both Russia and China are going to sign a joint communique on relations and their entrepreneurs will sign a number of agreements, the foreign minister added.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Hu Jintao yesterday spoke highly of a positive, sound and stable momentum of development of China-Russia ties.When holding a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Hu said that further developing China-Russia ties is a priority for China’s foreign policy, and both sides will push forward a comprehensive partnership of strategic co-ordination between China and Russia to a new level.
Hu said the two nations would improve strategic co-ordination on international and regional issues, promote common development between China and Russia and safeguard security and stability in the region and the world at large.
In addition, the Chinese president said both countries agreed to target areas where the two economies complement each other to improve economic and trade co-operation.
China and Russia will deepen co-operation in fields such as oil and gas, nuclear power, electric power, new energy and investment, carry out high-tech and innovation cooperation and speed up efforts to upgrade industrial structure of the two nations to improve international competitiveness.
Hu said the goals set by both Chinese and Russian leaders for bilateral trade to reach US$100 billion in 2015 and US$200 billion in 2020 will be achieved with common efforts of the two nations.
Moreover, Hu said the two states agreed to improve the exchanges among young people and co-operation in military and law enforcement.
The two nations will also strengthen co-operation in international institutions, such as the United Nations, G20, the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, to maintain the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, promote unity and co-operation among the emerging market countries and developing countries, and establish a more rational and fair international political and economic order.
Hu and Putin held talks on bilateral ties and the upcoming Beijing summit of the SCO yesterday afternoon.