Thursday, June 18, 2009

China, Russia sign five-point joint statement

MOSCOW, June 17 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia Wednesday signed a five-point statement on bilateral relations and mutual cooperation.

Chinese President Hu Jintao attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and the meeting of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in Yekaterinburg in central Russia on June 15 and June 16. He arrived in Moscow Tuesday for a three-day state visit.

CHINA-RUSSIA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP OF COOPERATION

Hu, who is on a state visit to Russia, discussed the current situation and prospect of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. The two leaders held in-depth exchange of views on major international and regional issues and reached broad consensus.

The two sides are satisfied with the development of the Sino-Russian relations in the past year.

China and Russia thoroughly completed the boundary demarcation work between them in 2008, and ratified the Action Plan to Implement the China-Russia Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighborliness and Cooperation (2009-2012).

The two countries have launched energy negotiations at Vice-Premier level and signed an inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the field of crude oil.

The two leaders stressed that mutual supports on issues related to their core interests are an important part of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation.

The Russian side reiterated that Taiwan and Tibet are inalienable parts of the Chinese territory. Russia will not change its stand on the issues concerning Taiwan and Tibet and will support the peaceful development of the cross-Straits relations and China's peaceful reunification.

The two sides emphasized that mutual supports on issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity are of vital importance. The Chinese side backed Russia's efforts in maintaining peace and stability in the region of Caucasus.

DOMESTIC ECONOMIC SITUATION, GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

Both sides agreed that the current global financial crisis has triggered turbulence and instability in the international financial market and in the world's trade and economy, posing grave challenges to the economic growth of the two countries.

China and Russia shared the same or similar viewpoints and stance on the root cause of the current crisis, and the reform of the global financial system and the international financial institution.

Guided by the principle of equality and mutual benefits, nations around the world and international organizations should forge the broadest possible cooperation in politics, trade and economy and finance in a bid to overcome the financial crisis.

It is of special significance to try to unleash the maximum potential of various regional institutions and organizations and raise the financial market controllability.

The two leaders agreed to oppose global trade protectionism, saying the global financial system in the post-crisis era should be fair, equitable, inclusive and well-managed.

They also said that a new round of the IMF quota formula review and the reform schemes of the World Bank should be completed on time and that the emerging markets and developing countries should have a bigger say and broader representation in the international financial institutions.

The two sides stressed the importance of deepening bilateral cooperation in reforming the global financial system and in dealing with the fallout from the crisis.

A downward trend has been recorded in the trade volume, two-way investment and border trade between China and Russia due to the global financial crisis, they said. The two leaders agreed that China and Russia should work together to mitigate the negative impact of the crisis on bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

The two leaders signed a draft plan of the China-Russia investment cooperation, pledging to earnestly implement the draft plan and encourage enterprises of the two countries to carry out pragmatic cooperation in such areas as mechanical manufacturing, construction, the light industry, transportation, agriculture, communication, bank and insurance, technology, energy, the chemical industry, forestry and mining.

The two sides also made great efforts to work out a draft plan on the cooperation between northeast China and Russia's Far East and East Siberia regions.

The two leaders urged the relevant departments of the two countries to wrap up consultation at an early date on the draft plan, so that the plan could be submitted for approval when the heads of state of the two countries meet at the end of 2009.

The two leaders also spoke highly of the energy negotiation mechanisms between China and Russia and the inter-governmental agreement on oil cooperation signed by the two countries.

The two countries have been pushing forward all-round cooperation in oil, natural gas, nuclear power and electricity, which has raised the China-Russia strategic partnership of cooperation to a new high, they said.

The two sides also discussed nuclear power cooperation, one of their priorities for economic cooperation. They will launch the construction of the second phase of the Tianwan nuclear power project and the fast reactors for commercial purposes.

China and Russia should strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in civil aviation manufacturing as well as in related projects that comply with the market needs and the civil aircraft development plan, they added.

HUMANITIES COOPERATION

The two presidents are satisfied with the sustainable development of the mutual humanities cooperation.

The two countries have consolidated and expanded the social basis of the China-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation through cultural and film festivals, media and sports exchanges, and activities in the fields of sanitation, tourism and archives.

The two sides will lay the emphasis on the cooperation in prevention and control of acute infectious diseases.

Both sides noted that it is significant for the two governments to hold activities on educational exchanges such as holding university art festivals, exchanges of university students and education exhibitions.

The "Year of Russian Language" in China in 2009 and the "Year of Chinese Language" in Russia in 2010 will help deepen bilateral exchanges and mutual understanding.

The two presidents said that the work on the drafting of the inter-governmental agreement on the establishment of the cultural centers in each other's country is going smoothly. The departments concerned have been instructed to conclude the agreement as soon as possible within this year.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The two heads of state agreed that the basic principles of international law should be cemented and the core functions of the United Nations be reinforced.

Both China and Russia support the Group of Eight countries in enhancing their dialogue and cooperation with major developing economies, and in promoting the establishment of an equal, mutually beneficial and win-win partnership with the developing nations.

Meanwhile, the two leaders said the international community should encourage participation by the developing countries while dealing with global issues.

They listed such issues as the fight against the global financial crisis, safeguarding the global security, the fight against terrorism and cross-border crime, ensuring food and energy security, poverty relief, improving education and the public health system, as well as the response to the global climate change.

The SCO summit at Yekaterinburg has showcased that the group has played an effective role in consolidating global and regional stability.

Both sides support the SCO in carrying out active dialogues with other nations concerned, international organizations and forums on safeguarding world peace and security and launching comprehensive economic and humanities cooperation.

Hu and Medvedev said that under the leadership of the United Nations and with the active participation by the SCO, the two countries should reinforce regional cooperation on fighting against terrorism, drug trafficking and cross-border organized crime.

China and Russia are committed to maintain close cooperation within the SCO framework of regional anti-terror institution, consolidate its legal foundation and enrich the content of counter-terrorism collaboration.

Noting that as the two mechanisms to coordinate the settlement of the pressing issues concerning the world development, the two leaders said the BRIC countries and the China-Russia-India tripartizan mechanisms will have a broad future. They expressed the willingness to strengthen cooperation on issues of common concern within the two mechanisms.

The international security is interdependent and embracive, they said. The security of a certain country should not be placed over that of other countries, nor should it be obtained by enlarging military and political alliances or by deploying global and regional anti-missile systems.

China and Russia also reaffirmed their support for the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which they considered as the basis for the international community to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

The two countries stands for the peaceful use of outer space and oppose space weaponization.

The Chinese and Russian presidents emphasized that all countries should fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1540, work together to commit themselves to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their carriers and relevant materials, especially to prevent weapons materials from reaching the hands of terrorists or terror groups.

It is of great significance to work together to fight all forms of terrorism, and to reinforce international and regional security through bilateral and multilateral channels.

China and Russia will tap the potentials of business circles, media and non-governmental organizations, and push forward dialogues between different civilizations, religions and cultures.

The two sides both stressed that they should enhance cooperation in fighting against money laundering and terrorist financing at bilateral and multilateral levels.

In view of the climate issue, the two leaders highlighted the efforts through international cooperation to tackle the climate change in line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol as well as the principle of common but differentiated responsibility.

They said they will continue to support each other and strengthen coordination within the framework of multilateral organizations in the Asia-Pacific region, namely the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the East Asia Forum, the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

China favors Russia's efforts to join the East Asia Summit and the Asia-Europe Meeting, and is willing to offer support for Russia in this regard.

The two presidents said stability, security, sustainable economic development and social progress in Central Asia serve the long-term interests of all nations in this region.

China and Russia will work with Central Asian countries both bilaterally and within the SCO framework to deepen cooperation in the fields of politics, trade, economy and security, as well as in severely cracking down on terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking and cross-border organized crime.

Both countries welcome the enforcement of the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia.

The two leaders expressed grave concern over the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

UN Security Council Resolution 1874 is aimed at strengthening the efforts to solve the Korean peninsula nuclear issue by political and diplomatic means, they said.

They urged an earlier resumption of the six-party talks, expressing hope that parties to the talks could fulfill their respective obligations stipulated in the joint statement of the six-party talks issued in Beijing on Sept. 19, 2005.

China and Russia are ready to contribute to easing the tension in Northeast Asia, said the two leaders. They added the parties concerned should be committed to addressing disputes through dialogue and consultation and by peaceful means, and to maintaining and consolidating regional peace and security on the basis of establishing multilateral mechanisms.

The two sides also reiterated that the Middle East issue should be tackled through a comprehensive, sustained and equitable approach in line with the widely accepted principle of international law, underlining the importance of holding an international conference on the Middle East in Moscow.

As far as the Iranian nuclear issue is concerned, the two countries said it can only be solved through political and diplomatic approaches, calling for more efforts to regain the trust from the international community over the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.

They added that negotiations with Iran should be activated at an early date so as to seek a comprehensive, lasting and proper settlement of the the issue.

TWO SIDES SATISFIED WITH RESULTS OF MEETING

The talks, which were held in an atmosphere of friendship, cooperation, mutual trust and understanding, have produced significant achievements. Both sides were satisfied with the results of the meeting.

President Hu has invited Medvedev to visit China at a convenient time in 2010. Medvedev has accepted Hu's invitation.

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