Date:30/09/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/30/stories/2004093002711400.htm

International

China, Russia cement partnership

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, SEPT. 29. China and Russia have "agreed to work together to expand and deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries, to increase political mutual trust, to maintain the quick development of bilateral trade, to expand `mutual investment,' facilitate energy and science and technology cooperation, to promote border and regional exchange and to strengthen culture exchanges," said the Chinese Foreign Minister, Li Zhaoxing, in remarks made public in Beijing on Tuesday on the latest "regular meeting" between the Prime Ministers of the two countries. The Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, held talks with his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Fradkov and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow last week.

The centrepieces

The centrepieces of the Sino-Russian understanding relate to the sustained sharing of an "important consensus on world multi-polarisation" and "energy cooperation" with the "most [promising] potential" on their bilateral front. On issues related to `multi-polarisation,' Mr. Li said "both sides agreed to continue their strategic cooperation in international affairs and to promote multilateralism and the democratisation of international relations."

Experts say this aspect may come to be tested in due course as several key countries, including Japan and India in Asia and Germany in Europe, raise the stakes for their admission to the U.N. Security Council as permanent members. China and Russia are permanent members of the Council.

A major outcome

The `finalisation' of the Sino-Russian cooperation in the fields of petroleum and natural gas was singled out by Mr. Li as a major outcome of the meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries — the ninth such exercise in the ongoing series. He quoted Mr. Putin as having told Mr. Wen that "Russia would unswervingly carry out its energy cooperation with China."