Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo met Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Chairman Sergei Mironov on Monday and co-chaired with him the first meeting of the cooperation committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the Federation Council.

During the meeting with Wu, the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, Mironov said bilateral relations between Russia and China had been good, adding that Wu's visit would expand areas and explore new ways for cooperation so that parliamentary ties between the two countries could play a more active role in the development of bilateral ties.

Wu, for his part, said relations between the two countries were developing at a fast pace. The two sides had established the strategic partnership, signed the treaty of friendly cooperation and set up the high-level meeting mechanisms of heads of state, heads of government and heads of parliament.

The two countries had also solved the border issue, offered understanding and support on issues of respective concern and cooperated closely in international and regional affairs, Wu said.

Substantial progress had been made in such key areas as trade, energy, investment and high-tech, and Chinese-Russian ties had grown maturer, Wu added.

This year was an important year in bilateral ties, with frequent exchange of high-level visits and China hosting the Year of Russia, the Chinese top legislator said. He expressed the NPC's readiness to work with the Federation Council to move forward the strategic partnership between China and Russia.

The first meeting of the cooperation committee of the NPC and the Federation Council marked the startup of the parliamentary cooperation mechanism, Wu said.

The committee, established last September during Mironov's visit to China, is co-chaired by Wu and Mironov. The committee convenes annually in China or Russia.

Wu made a four-point proposal on promoting cooperation between the NPC and the Federation Council.

First, he said, parliamentary cooperation should be oriented towards better serving the strategic partnership between China and Russia, providing the legal guarantee for the development of bilateral ties and supervising the implementation of legal documents signed by the two sides.

Secondly, legislative exchanges should be enhanced to improve the quality of legislation and ensure smooth economic and social development, Wu said.

Thirdly, exchanges in the humanitarian sphere should also be boosted to foster better understanding between enterprises of the two countries and promote personnel and inter-party exchanges, he said.

Finally, the two countries need to enhance coordination in international and regional parliamentary organizations to promote regional and global peace and stability, the Chinese top legislator said.

Mironov agreed with Wu on his assessment of bilateral ties and the proposal on boosting parliamentary cooperation.

Mironov expressed readiness of the Federation Council, which represents different Russian regions, to promote regional exchange and cooperation, particularly in economic and trade ties, with China.

Wu arrived in Moscow from the Volga River city of Volgograd on Sunday to continue his four-day official goodwill visit to Russia.

Source: Xinhua