Russian President Vladimir Putin praised present ties with China
and urged for greater joint efforts to boost bilateral relations
during his meeting Wednesday with visiting Defense Minister Cao
Gangchuan in Sochi.
Russian-Chinese ties are at a historical high and the strategic
partnership between the two countries is crucial to relations,
Putin told Cao, who arrived in the Black Sea resort from Moscow,
where he had met Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Prime
Minister Mikhail Fradkov.
Links between the armed forces of the two countries are
conducive to boosting their defense capabilities, the Russian
leader said, urging the two countries' military to work closely to
benefit further growth of bilateral ties.
Putin praised the capabilities of both armed forces in last
month's joint
military exercises.
China and Russia held their first joint military exercises,
codenamed "Peace Mission 2005," from August 18 to 25. The week-long
maneuvers, which started in Russia's Far East and later moved to
east China's Shandong Peninsula, involved 10,000 troops from both
countries.
Cao said China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN
Security Council, shoulder major responsibilities for safeguarding
world peace and promoting common prosperity.
Cooperative ties between the two armed forces are expanding as
the strategic partnership of the two countries continues to grow,
he said.
The joint drills demonstrated a new level of mutual trust in
political, military and security ties and have laid a firm
foundation for deepening cooperation in national defense and
security, Cao said. He also pledged greater efforts to boost
bilateral ties.
Cao arrived in Moscow Monday on a five-day visit to Russia.
(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2005)
