By IANS,
Beijing : President Hu Jintao and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met in Beijing Wednesday to exchange views on strategic ties between China and Russia.
Hu welcomed Putin’s visit, calling the Russian prime minister “an old friend of the Chinese people”, reported Xinhua.
Putin arrived in Beijing Tuesday for a two-day official visit.
“I believe your visit will further promote the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation,” Hu said.
Echoing Hu’s views, Putin hailed the rapid growth of bilateral relations, noting that Hu’s visit to Russia in June injected new momentum for the two countries to foster ties.
Putin told Hu that he reviewed the current cooperation between the two countries in various fields with Premier Wen during the meeting Tuesday, and the two sides have also planned for future cooperation.
“Business representatives from our two nations had signed a series of cooperative agreements with a value of over $7 billion,” Putin added.