China, Russia vow to further deepen parliamentary cooperation

China and Russia will further deepen exchanges and cooperation between their legislatures, said a press statement issued on Tuesday.

At the invitation of Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Chairman Sergei Mironov and Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Chairman Boris Gryzlov, Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo paid an official visit to Russia from May 26 to May 30, the press statement said.

During his stay in Moscow, Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, and held talks with Mironov and Gryzlov, it said.

The two sides held an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral ties, inter-parliamentary exchanges and international issues of common concern, and reached consensus on a wide range of issues, it added

The statement also said that bilateral relations have maintained a sound, steady momentum of development since the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership 10 years ago and the signing of the treaty of friendly cooperation treaty five years ago.

Bilateral cooperation in politics, economy and trade, science and technology, education, and culture have achieved tangible results, the statement added.

On parliamentary cooperation, the two sides agreed, the cooperation, as an important part of the China-Russia strategic partnership, has played an irreplaceable role in their relations.

Expressing satisfaction with the cooperation between their legislatures in recent years, the two sides noted in the statement that the establishment of the two cooperation committees provided a strong guarantee for the deepening of such cooperation.

In the statement, the two sides also said they will improve the role of the current cooperative mechanism between their legislatures to launch exchanges at various levels and by multiple channels and that they will enhance the supervision of the implementation of all agreements signed by China and Russia.

Both sides spoke highly of "the Year of Russia" and "the Year of China," saying the events will boost bilateral cooperation in such fields as politics, economy and trade, science and technology and humanities.

In the statement, Russia reiterated the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.

Russia opposes "Taiwan independence" of any forms, opposes Taiwan's joining the United Nations and other international organizations that are only open to sovereign states and opposes external interference, the statement added.

Both China and Russia spoke highly of the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in safeguarding regional peace, security and stability, promoting member states' economic development and deepening the mutual understanding and trust among the peoples.

The SCO's first top legislators' meeting held on Tuesday would boost exchanges among the parliaments of its member states, consolidate legal foundation of their cooperation and strengthen their cooperation in various fields, the statement said.

The SCO, established five years ago, consists of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

During Wu's visit, related agencies of the two sides also discussed the final text of a bilateral economic and trade cooperation plan for 2006-2010, the statement said.

Russia was the last leg of Wu's four-nation tour, which also included Romania, Moldova and Greece.

Source: Xinhua