RF, PRC attain unprecedentedly high level of polit relations-Amb

BEIJING, July 4 (Itar-Tass) - Over the past ten years, Russia and
China have attainted an unprecedentedly high level of political relations,
Sergei Razov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation (RF) to the People's
Republic (PRC), said here on Monday when speaking before participants in a
roundtable meeting dedicated to the approaching 10th anniversary of the
signing of the Treaty of Goodneighbourly Relations, Friendship and
Cooperation between the two countries. The roundtable meeting was
organized by the Chinese Institute for the Study of International Problems.
"Summing up intermediate results and comprehending the results of
joint efforts made over the past decade that followed the signing of the
Treaty, we are stating that Russia and China have reached out to an
unprecedentedly high level of political relations; interstate and
interrrgional contacts are developing at an accelerated pace in the
economic, scientific, technical and humanitarian spheres and in matters
concerning the ensurance of law and order and security," Razov said,
adding that a "substantial progress has begun to show in Russia-China
interaction on nature conservation themes".
Referring to concrete results achieved within the above-mentioned
period, Sergei Razov emphasized that due to the Treaty, signed on July 16,
2001, the sides "finally settled the border issue; unprecedented projects
of the National Years and Years of Language have been implemented; trade
has grown seven-fold, propelling the PRC to the first place among Russia's
trading partners; the realization of long-term strategic projects in the
sphrere of energy has been launched; an oil pipeline and the Tianwan
nuclear power station have been built and put into operation; a five-year
programme for cooperation between contiguous regions has been adopted;
more than ten new airlines have begun to operate; close interaction is
maintained in the fields of cosmonautics, military-technical cooperation;
the holding of joint military exercises has been started and our two
countries are now among the founders of new multilateral formats, such as
the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS. A
Consulate-General of Russia has opened in Guangzhou and Chinese ones are
functioning in Yekaterinburg and Irkutsk; and cultural centers have begun
to function".
The RF Ambassadoar to the PRC also highly appreciated the two
countries' interaction within the scope of international orgnizations and
mechanisms, such as the SCO and BRICS. "Russia and China actively
cooperate on matters concerning the ensurance of international security,
strategic stability, arms control and non-proliferation," Razov added.
"The development of relations has become more systemic and
structured," he stressed. "Every four years the leders of our two
countries endorse an Action Plan in implementation of the Treaty -- a
large document consisting of several sections and tens of clauses
encompassing all the areas of cooperation," the RF Ambassador said. All
this, in his view, "is an added proof of the relevance of the Treaty which
performs the role of both a legal basis for bilateral relations and a
major catalyst of practical interaction".
"It is possibke ti say with confidence that the Treaty laid a solid
foundation for the development of Russia - China strategic interaction for
the future. The initial term of the Treaty has been determined to be 20
years. However, the dynamic development of bilateral relations indicates
that this document will remain relevant and stay in demand for many years
ahead and that through joint efforts we shall succeed in adding new vivid
pages to the common history of the two great neighbours," the RF
Ambassador to the PRC summed up.