Hu's Moscow tour to cement China-Russia ties
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Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit to Moscow will boost the China-Russia strategic partnership for coordination, China's Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said Wednesday.
"At the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, President Hu Jintao will visit Moscow on Saturday and Sunday to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the end of the Russian Great Patriotic War," Cheng said at a press briefing in Beijing.
Russia's "Great Patriotic War," known in the West as a part of World War Two, refers to the battles from June 1941 to May 1945 against Nazi Germany and its allies on the Eastern Front.
"It is of great significance for Russia to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the end of the Russian Great Patriotic War," Cheng said, stressing the celebrations will help the international community remember history, reach consensus, seek unity and promote peace.
According to Cheng, on the sidelines of the celebrations, Hu will hold bilateral meetings with some foreign leaders and award honors to some Russian veterans who participated in the battles liberating northeast China occupied by the Japanese troops during WWII.
"President Hu's attendance at the celebrations is a big event in China-Russia relations and symbolizes the spirit of bilateral strategic coordination," Cheng said.
"We believe Hu's visit will boost China-Russia strategic trust for further development of bilateral strategic partnership for coordination," he said.
Hu's attendance at the Moscow celebrations will also be part of commemorative events jointly held by China and Russia, he said.
Others include joint publication of political documents and wreath-laying ceremonies at memorials to Soviet Union martyrs located in China, which have been renovated, he said.
According to the Russian Embassy in China, China is home to 74 such memorials in which lie the remains of around 3,4500 Soviet soldiers, who had played an important role in China's victory in the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945).
