China's Hu ends visit to Russia

Chinese President Hu Jintao ended a four-day visit to Russia on Sunday and left for Kazakhstan for a state visit and a Shanghai Cooperation summit there.

During his stay in Moscow, President Hu held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The two leaders discussed ways to further enhance the strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Russia, and exchanged views on major regional and international issues.

Hu and Putin on Friday signed a joint statement on world order in the 21st century, setting forth their common stand on major international issues, such as UN reform, globalization, North- South cooperation, and world economy and trade.

The joint statement indicates that the two countries are determined to strengthen their strategic coordination in international affairs and promote peace, stability and prosperity across the world.

The two sides also signed a number of cooperation documents.

Hu also met Russia's government and parliament leaders.

In Novosibirsk, eastern Russia, Hu held talks with local leaders on economic and trade cooperation.

In recent years, Sino-Russian relations have entered a new phase of development, featuring political mutual trust, more economic cooperation and cultural exchanges.

In 2001, the two countries signed the Sino-Russian Good- neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, which serves as the legal foundation for bilateral relations.

Last year, trade between the two countries reached a record high of 21.20 billion US dollars, or a 34.70 percent rise over the previous year. In the first three months of this year, trade increased by 20.70 percent over the same period last year.

After his trip to Kazakhstan, Hu will fly to Scotland for an informal meeting between leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized countries and five major developing countries -- Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

Source: Xinhua