China, Russia eye stronger parliamentary cooperation
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Xinhua, September 17, 2011
China's top legislator Wu Bangguo and Russia's acting upper house speaker Alexander Torshin agreed to boost bilateral parliamentary ties when they met on Friday.
"The continuity and stability of parliamentary exchanges between China and Russia has injected new meaning and vigor into the bilateral relationship," said Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).
During the talks with Torshin, acting speaker of the Federation Council, Wu also said the next decade was "a critical moment for the development and prosperity of China and Russia."
The coming 10 years also provided an "important opportunity for deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership" and strengthening parliamentary exchanges and cooperation, he said.
Wu proposed the two sides support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and maintain coordination within regional and international parliamentary exchange mechanisms.
The two sides should also enhance exchanges between the countries' lawmakers, particularly the young ones, and learn from each other on democracy, legal systems and state governance.
To promote pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, Wu said, the two sides should try to approve the signed pacts and agreements in time and amend relevant laws to facilitate trade and investment.
Both countries' legislatures needed to urge relevant government departments to step up efforts and push forward major projects in areas such as oil, natural gas, nuclear power, aerospace and aviation, he said.
The Chinese legislator also called on the two countries' parliaments to play their roles in boosting sub-national cooperation between the two countries and help speed up infrastructure construction in the border areas.
Torshin said a deeper China-Russia relationship not only accorded with the fundamental interests of the two peoples but benefited world peace and prosperity.
The Federation Council was ready to enhance friendly exchanges with the NPC and help push forward bilateral cooperation in various fields, Torshin said, adding that sub-national interaction between the two countries constituted an important part of bilateral pragmatic cooperation.
After the talks, Wu and Torshin co-chaired the fifth meeting of the cooperation committee of the NPC and the Federation Council, a regular exchange mechanism established in 2005.
Later Friday, Wu attended the inauguration ceremony of the Greenwood International Trade Center, a major Chinese investment project in Russia.
