China, Russia to boost regional cooperation

Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua (R) and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev co-chair the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Cooperation of the Northeast China and the Far East and Baikal Region of Russia, in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning province, Aug. 21, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

Senior Chinese and Russian officials on Tuesday agreed to further boost cooperation between Northeast China and the Far East and Baikal Region of Russia.

Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev reached the agreement when co-chairing the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Cooperation of the Northeast China and the Far East and Baikal Region of Russia, in Dalian, Liaoning province.

Citing a major consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin on enhancing cooperation between the regions, Hu said the cooperation will enrich the China-Russia all-round partnership of strategic coordination.

Related departments and regions of the two countries have actively implemented the outcomes of the first meeting of the commission, and achieved new progress in cooperation, Hu said.

The main task of the second meeting of the commission is to implement the important consensus reached between leaders of the two countries, help solve problems, expand and deepen cooperation, and achieve more pragmatic results, Hu said.

Trutnev, also the presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia, said China is a major cooperation partner of the Far East and Baikal Region, and Russia is ready to work with China to promote new progress in bilateral cooperation.

The two sides agreed to increase communication, enhance the planning for the cooperation, improve the business environment, facilitate customs clearance, promote connectivity, and create conditions for expanding cooperation in fields such as port logistics, resources development, modern agriculture, and equipment manufacturing.