Transcript:

Dmitry Medvedev: State Council Premier Wen Jiabao and colleagues! Welcome to Moscow! Russian and Chinese heads of government meet regularly and today they are coming together for the 17^th time. This is a very effective way of talking through what we have achieved and discussing our future plans.

We have already discussed a considerable part of the issues during our core meeting. I’d like to make a general note that our relations, Russian-Chinese relations, are currently the best they have ever been in their entire centuries-long history. We have a comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between our countries. And this partnership and cooperation is strengthening. Top level and high level contact, and regular meetings between Chinese and Russian Prime Ministers play a key role in this. Major work is underway as part of the Commission for Preparing Regular Meetings, the Commission for Cultural Cooperation and the dialogue on energy. I would like to stress that these commissions have also played a considerable role in our relations. 

Now just a few words on trade and economic cooperation. This year has not been easy for the global economy; nevertheless our countries have maintained positive development in our bilateral commodity turnover. We expect to conclude $90 billion worth of trade deals by the end of the year. Our main tasks, of course, are to mitigate the impact of adverse external conditions, to improve the qualitative parameters of our mutual trade and to promote investment cooperation. In addition (and we discussed this today), the sphere of foreign investment requires particular attention. Mutual, concerted effort is needed. We need to use bilateral mechanisms and perhaps a plan of investment cooperation to fulfil the special road map in this sphere. We have many projects. Priority in cooperation should be given to high-tech sectors, which should be the engines of modernisation and the innovation-driven growth of our economies. Joint investments are very important in such spheres as transport. Cross-border trade is also very important, and I am referring to the needs of neighbouring regions. And by the way, this will be aided by the memorandum on cooperation of the transport agencies signed today.

I would like to repeat something I’ve already mentioned today. Our cooperation now that Russia has joined the WTO will be invested with new meaning, and I would like once again to thank our Chinese partners for their cooperation at all stages of the negotiating process. Energetic cooperation remains a very important driver of our joint development. It has already become very robust, comprehensive and extensive. And of course the Energy Dialogue that has been set up and is being granted the status of independent commission in the framework of the regular meetings of the heads of government will be very helpful in this regard.   

We have also spoken about humanitarian cooperation today. Owing to direct human contacts, especially among young people, our nations are beginning to understand each other better and this creates the unforgettable atmosphere that is traditional for Russian-Chinese relations.

Today we must endorse a plan for promoting Russian-Chinese cooperation. We will continue conducting major events in the humanitarian sphere. We will also launch more joint reciprocal projects. We are looking forward to one of them – the Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia and are ready to give our Chinese partners all-round assistance in its conduct.

I’d like to repeat that we are moving forward in all directions. Our relations are very good – suffice it to mention a package of 15 bilateral documents on all avenues of our cooperation. I haven’t even mentioned a number of key agreements that are being now signed by business people on other venues. There are about 10 of them. This allows me to say that our meeting has been very productive.

I’d like to thank again all our Chinese partners. I’m particularly grateful to my colleague Wen Jiabao for taking part in this event as the Prime Minister and in 10 previous events as the Premier of the State Council. These years were very intensive and saw a major change in our bilateral relations. I’d like to thank you again for everything that has been done and to give the floor to you.

Wen Jiabao (interpreter’s version): Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen. I’m very pleased to be in Russia again and to hold the 17^th regular meeting of the prime ministers of China and Russia.

Indicatively, the meeting we are conducting today is the last one before the powers of the current Government of China expire and the first one after your appointment as the Prime Minister. This is why I believe it is an important link. I’m convinced it will give a fresh impetus to the steady and dynamic development of Sino-Russian relations, our comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.

During the past 10 years we have jointly ensured the effective operation of the mechanism of regular prime minister meetings. We have reached a number of important results in practical cooperation. In 10 years our trade has increased from $12 million to $90 billion. China and Russian have long become priority trade partners for each other.

We are working successfully to implement vital projects such as an oil pipeline, the first phase of the Tianwan nuclear power station and an experimental fast neutron reactor. The second phase of the Tianwan project will begin soon.

Our cooperation in the gas sphere has been very fruitful. Our ties in the aerospace sector are rapidly growing stronger, in particular within the framework of the joint project to create a wide-body aircraft and a heavy helicopter, which have major strategic importance. We are also actively implementing a cooperation programme in the border regions, where we have built a number of cross-border infrastructure facilities.

Considerable success has been achieved in the sphere of environmental protection in the border regions. Mutual investments are growing rapidly, with direct investment on the rise and exchanges trading in the rouble/renminbi currency pair. We are also working jointly in high-tech fields such as biology, nanotechnology, new materials, information and telecommunications. The Russian innovation park Skolkovo has established cooperation with its Chinese partner, thereby creating the foundation for promoting cooperation in the sphere of innovations.

We have successfully held year-long cultural events, such as the years of the Russian and Chinese languages and the Year of Russian Tourism, which have helped us to strengthen mutual understanding and the traditional friendship between our two peoples. Furthermore, we are closely cooperating on important issues of global and regional politics and have been working jointly to further develop regional economic cooperation, which has a major constructive role to play in global economic management.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude to our Russian and Chinese colleagues. Thank you.

Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you.

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