Wu Bangguo, China's top legislator, arrived in Russia on Wednesday to begin an official goodwill visit as China and Russia strive for closer cooperation in face of the worsening global financial crisis.
Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), was the first Chinese leader to stop in Russia this year. His tour comes a month before a planned state visit by President Hu Jintao.
Top leaders of the two countries have maintained close and frequent contact in the past 12 months, trying to build a closer relationship against the background of the rapidly changing global economic situation.
Hu and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev have met five times since last May.
In their meeting during the April G20 summit in London, Hu said that strengthening China-Russia relations has become extraordinarily imperative given the current financial crisis.
Wu Bangguo (L front), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China, is greeted upon his arrival in Moscow, capital of Russia, May 13, 2009. (Xinhua/Li Tao) Wu was to meet with Medvedev during his stay in Moscow to exchange views on bilateral relations and other issues of common concern, including trade and economic cooperation.
China and Russia are striving to maintain bilateral trade at a stable level this year after it soared to a record high of more than 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2008.
Wu was also scheduled to meet with Segei Mironov, chairman of the Russian Federation Council, and Boris Gryzlov, chairman of the State Duma.
Parliamentary exchanges are an important piece of the China-Russia partnership of strategic cooperation.
The NPC has established cooperation committees with both chambers of the Russian parliament. Wu, Mironov and Gryzlov are chairmen of the two committees, which will hold meetings that will be attended by the Chinese legislator.
Russia is the first leg of Wu's three-nation Europe tour, which also will take him to Austria and Italy.
Source: Xinhua
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