President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Russia from March
26 to 28.
"At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin,
President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Russia from March 26
to 28," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao said at a
briefing on March 20.
During the three-day visit, President Hu will also attend the
opening ceremony of the "Year of China" held in Russia.
China hosted the "Year of Russia" in 2006, which involved the
organization of some 300 functions with the participation of more
than 500,000 Chinese.
The "Year of China" in Russia is expected to feature some 200
events, including a Chinese national exhibition, a cultural
festival, a business forum and an investment
conference.??
On Tuesday morning, President Hu met with journalists from
Russian media in Beijing, briefing them on issues from China-Russia
relations and "National Year" activities to trade cooperation, from
the building of a harmonious society and the 2008 Beijing Olympics
to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov said the purpose of
holding national year alternately between Russia and China is to
deepen mutual understanding of the domestic situation and people's
life of each country.
Russian people are becoming more and more interested in China
and the upcoming "Year of China in Russia", Razov said during an
interview with Xinhuanet.com Tuesday afternoon.
He said the Russia-China strategic partnership has reached an
unprecedented height, and there are no political problems in the
bilateral relations to upset both countries.
(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2007)