Putin’s Visit Bears Fruit.docVIP

Putin?s Visit Bears Fruit The Russian President?s trip to China marks progress in overall cooperation between the two countries If one word could be used to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin?s recent visit to China, it would be “fruitful.” During his brief two-day stay, which began March 21, Putin had a compact agenda--he met with his Chinese counterpart, President Hu Jintao, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and China?s top legislator Wu Bangguo, attended the opening ceremony of the Year of Russia and a high-level Sino-Russian economic forum, and signed 15 agreements. Seven more agreements, ranging from culture to the media and education, were to be signed by ministries from both countries. Putin rounded out his China tour by visiting the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, the martial arts shrine of China and the world. During their talks, Hu and Putin agreed that “bilateral relations are at an unprecedented level of development” as they pointed to the fruitful cooperation achieved under the 10-year-old Sino-Russia strategic partnership of cooperation. Hu said he firmly believed that Putin?s visit would boost that strategic partnership, and China is willing to push forward bilateral cooperation in trade, high technology, energy, and cross-border water protection. Hu also noted that this year marks the fifth anniversary of the Sino-Russian good neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation. Bilateral agreements signed The most significant achievement was the signing of a series of bilateral agreements, including an overarching document titled the China-Russia Joint Statement, in which the two countries? cooperative plans were fully reflected, ranging from politics and diplomacy to energy and finance. “The two sides support each other?s policies to safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” the statement said. Russia expressed its strong support for the one-China policy, noting that “the Russian side will cont