Russian prime minister starts China visit

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing Tuesday on a two-day official visit to China. Putin is invited by his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao. During the visit, he will meet Chinese leaders including Chinese President Hu Jintao and top legislator Wu Bangguo. Putin and Wen will hold the 16th regular meeting between the two countries'' prime ministers. Yuri Ushakov, a deputy chief of the government staff in charge of foreign policy issues told reporters Monday that the Russian government attaches significance to the visit and the agenda of Putin’s talks with Chinese Prime Minister Weng Jiabao "is very tightly packed." Russian news agency (Itar-Tass) quoted Ushakov as saying that the agenda "embraces all the aspects of trade and economic cooperation between the two nations." He indicated that Russian-Chinese trade may exceed $ 70 billion at the yearend. Meanwhile, China''s News Agency (Xinhua) said that the Russian Premier''s visit to China will mark ever-deepening China-Russia cooperation that is sure to help build a more balanced world. As permanent members of the UN Security Council playing major roles in world affairs, the two nations stood together from time to time to uphold the principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation and jointly thwarted several such attempts, it said. A case in point is their rejection of a UN draft resolution on Syria, which, in the words of Vitaly Churkin, Russia''s permanent representative to the UN, was based on "the philosophy of confrontation." The joint efforts made by the two major powers have prevented a UN-sanctioned intervention that would likely have plunged the Middle Eastern nation into a civil war, which would not only damage the well-being of the Syrian people, but jeopardize the peace and stability of the whole region. As major economies in a world mired in financial crisis, China and Russia have distinguished themselves by achieving rapid economic recovery and have, in concerted efforts with other BRICS members, formed a positive force, striving to put the world economy back on track towards a marked revival. Amid the sovereign debt crises in economic powerhouses worldwide, joint actions by China and Russian have taken on an added importance. Russian expert Sergei Luzyanin observed that both nations were "preparing for a possible second wave of the financial crisis that looms over Europe." And they would not be "passive observers" should it really come, he noted. As key members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and leading emerging nations, China and Russia have played an important role in shaping a multipolar world and fostering democratization of international order. During Chinese President Hu Jintao''s June visit to Russia, leaders of both sides reached broad consensus on the current international situation and major international issues, which will help the international community meet global challenges. With Putin''s visit, the China-Russia partnership would be further advanced to contribute to a more multipolar world and serve as an ideal exemplar of cooperation between developing countries.