From a 200 million US dollar buyers' credit to a pledge to treat kids in the Beslan hostage crisis, Russian Prime Minister Fradkov pocketed nine cooperation documents after a short but high-profile China visit.

The pacts, however, excluded the highly anticipated but long delayed oil pipeline project, which enables China to ship crude oil from oil-rich Siberia.

Enterprises are still working hard to seek a solution "satisfactory to both", he told the press after the 10th regular prime ministers meeting between he and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, adding that Russia will "honor its commitment" for energy cooperation with China.

By means of a railway shipments, China is expected to receive 8 million tons of crude oil in 2005, up from 5.8 million in 2005.

China hopes the project construction pact could be signed "at an early date", Premier Wen said.

In the joint communique signed by the two heads of government, China and Russia have agreed to increase annual oil shipment by railway to "no less than 15 million tons as of 2006."

But the sluggish pipeline deal has not dampened the enthusiasm for China and Russia to boost bilateral ties.

During the past decade, dual-track trade soared from 5.46 billion US dollars to 21.2 billion dollars in 2004.

"The figure is expected to hit 28 billion dollars this year," Wen said.

The two sides set the goal at 60 to 80 billion dollars in 2010.

"China's foreign trade in 2004 exceeded 1 trillion US, so anyone can see the proportion of Sino-Russian trade and the future potential," said Shen Jiru, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Both China and Russia realized the urgency to tighten economic links. During the just concluded meeting, the two sides elaborated a long list for future cooperation, including natural gas supply, nuclear power station construction, cross-border optical fiber and cargo transport.

The most noteworthy item lies in space technology. After China's successful launch of the Shenzhou VI manned spaceship, the two major powers in the space arena agreed to "explore the possibility for moon and deep space exploration".

"Such cooperation will help to break the US monopoly in manned space flight. But more significant is that it will facilitate the world's space research if Russia, China and the European Union coordinated together on space research," said Shen.

But though Chinese premier described the bilateral ties in "the best period in history", there remain disagreements.

Chinese shoes and other commodities exported to Russia are always troubled by the so-called "grey custom" while Russia is complaining of shrinking Russian mechanical and electronic exports to China.

However, Fradkov said all these problems can be "completely overcome and resolved."

Experts attributed his confidence to the strategic need for both countries to cooperate.

China and Russia have a treaty featuring neighborliness and friendship; a multi-faceted exchange mechanism ranging from meetings between heads of state and government to all key ministries and localities, in particular the bordering regions; and carried out a joint military drill involving more than 8,000 troops last summer,

"The overall situation, or the political atmosphere, provides a sound outer environment for the two countries to boost economic cooperation, the foundation for the future growth of bilateral relations," Shen noted.

Source: Xinhua