China, Russia vow further interregional cooperation, sign deals

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, March 20 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia pledged here Saturday to further interregional cooperation with each other and signed a series of cooperation deals.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R, front) shakes hands with Sergei Darkin, governor of Russia's Primorsky region, in Vladivostok, Russia, March 20, 2010. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

Governor of Russia's Primorsky Territory Sergey Mikhaylovich Darkin and visiting Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping met here and exchanged views on the development of bilateral ties and cooperation between neighboring regions of the two countries.  

Xi told Darkin making the Primorsky Territory the first leg of his Russian tour was to boost the interregional cooperation between China and Russia to a wider and deeper level, as agreed by leaders of both sides.

Conditions were already mature for the development of interregional cooperation between the two countries, Xi said.  

While the settlement of border issues and the approval of a cooperation plan outline had laid a political and legal basis for cooperation, the strong will of working hand in hand by the government and enterprises on both sides was also making it possible, the Chinese leader said.

Xi said, as both economies were developing quickly, he hoped China and Russia could seize the opportunity to obtain early achievements through interregional cooperation, and to realize the upgrading of the strategy for such cooperation to bring benefits to people living in the bordering areas.

Darkin said the Primorsky Territory, as China's closest neighbour, had achieved in recent years closer trade and economic ties with China's northeast border region.

The governor said Chinese companies were welcome to invest in the Primorsky Territory and to see it as a bridge for their products to reach Europe.

He also expected both sides to further cooperation in such areas as agriculture, energy, finance and service industries.

Later in the day, China and Russia signed 15 cooperation documents totalling 1.6 billion U.S. dollars covering economic, technological, energy and infrastructure cooperation.