Closer relations with China meet Russia's geopolitical goals and will contribute to strengthening the country's position in the world, a Russian presidential representative said on July 15.

"Russia is not very popular in the European Union; they are doing everything they can to reduce our participation in or influence on European issues. So it is very important that here in the east, in Asia, we have a friendly nation, China," Konstantin Pulikovsky, presidential representative to the Far East federal district, told the Itar-Tass news agency.

Growing ties with China "meet Russian geopolitical aims and strengthen the positions of our country in the world," Pulikovsky said.

Pulikovsky backed growing involvement of Chinese businesses in the region's mining and timber industries, saying Chinese companies offer better bids.

The presidential representative called for better regulation of border trade between the two countries, but stressed there was no talk of imposing restrictions on Chinese goods and businesses in Russia.

Source: Xinhua