Hu and Mr. Putin

The leaders of the two countries opened the Year of China in Russia

Yesterday in Moscow, Vladimir Putin held talks with the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, Hu Jintao, as part of the beginning of the Year of the People's Republic of China in Russia. Judging by the number of documents signed yesterday in the Kremlin, the Year of China in Russia promises to be very eventful .

Yesterday, the President of Russia and the Chairman of the People's Republic of China signed the Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on a strategic partnership, in which they jointly stated the need for an exclusively peaceful resolution of the problems of Iraq, Iran and the DPRK. In addition, Russia and China agreed to deepen cooperation in the energy sector and to create a Chinese-Russian chamber of mechanical and technical trade.

The first day of the Russian-Chinese summit ended with the signing of agreements between the Federal Space Agency and the Chinese National Space Administration on cooperation in the field of exploration of Phobos and Mars, INTERFAX reports. The head of the Federal Customs Service, Andrei Belyaninov, and the first deputy head of the General Customs Administration of China, Shen Guangzu, signed the protocol between the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation and the State Customs Administration of the People's Republic of China on the organization of an experimental exchange of information in mutual trade. An agreement between Russian Railways and the Ministry of Railways of the People's Republic of China on strengthening cooperation in the field of oil transportation by rail was signed by the President of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin, and the Minister of Railways of the People's Republic of China, Liu Zhijun.

Also yesterday, a number of agreements were signed between the banking structures of the two countries. In particular, the Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Alexander Khloponin, the head of Vnesheconombank Vladimir Dmitriev and the deputy governor of the State Development Bank of China Wang Yi signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of investment development between the Krasnoyarsk Territory Administration Council, VEB and the Chinese bank. An agreement was signed between Sberbank of Russia and the State Development Bank of China, as well as a loan agreement between VTB and the State Development Bank of China.

Ivan GORDEEV