Chinese, Russian officials meet on regional cooperation

The Communist Party chief of south China's Guangdong province, Wang Yang, met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov on Wednesday to discuss regional cooperation between the two countries.

Wang, also a member of the Central Committee Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said that Guangdong province is willing to engage in active pragmatic cooperation with Russia in implementing a regional cooperation program approved by the two country's leaders last year.

Wang said that cooperation should particularly be boosted in the trade and investment sectors and among small and medium enterprises.

In September 2009, the leaders of China and Russia approved the cooperation program between northeast China and Russia's far east and east Siberian region.

Wang said Guangdong province will endeavor to make its own contributions to increasing bilateral trade to the 60-80 billion U.S. dollar target as soon as possible.

Zhukov, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Supreme Council of the ruling United Russia party, said interactions between the two ruling parties have injected new momentum into the bilateral practical cooperation.

Russia will work with China to continue advancing economic cooperation, which gives priority to interregional cooperation and major projects, and expand collaboration and interaction with Guangdong province among small and medium enterprises and in investment, culture and tourism, Zhukov said.

Wang is leading a CPC delegation on a goodwill visit to Russia.

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