Vice Primer Wu Yi and Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev vowed to further Sino-Russian economic and trade ties.

 

Wu and Medvedev told some 50 government officials and representatives of business people attending a Sino-Russian high-level economic forum that the two countries have discussed cooperation in the fields of energy, finance, information technology and machinery.

 

The forum and discussions between ministers coincide with Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China.

 

Wu proposed the two sides promote cooperation between large companies of the two countries and on large projects. She appealed to companies in the two countries to improve their competitiveness.

 

She also urged companies of both sides to expand cooperation in such sectors as nuclear energy, space navigation, information technology, bio-medicine and new materials.

 

Medvedev hailed the fast growth of Russia-China trade in recent years and the pragmatic and fruitful cooperation between departments and companies of the two countries.

 

He hopes the two sides will push the bilateral trade and economic cooperation to a new height.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2006)