Tang made the remarks when meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the 57th UN General Assembly session.

During his stay in Beijing, Putin will meet with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Tang said, adding that the meeting will be of great significance to the sustained stable advancement of bilateral relations.

China attaches great importance to Putin's China tour and will work with the Russian side to make sound preparations to ensure the summit produce important results, he said.

Under the guidance of the Sino-Russian Good-neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in July 2001 in Moscow, the two nations have seen a healthy, rapid and very good development in their relations, Tang said.

The two sides have increased mutual political trust, deepened their economic and trade cooperation and broadened their strategic coordination, he added.

For his part, Ivanov said his country is very satisfied with the great achievements made during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Ksayanov's visit to China in August this year.

Ivanov agreed with Tang on the importance of Putin's upcoming visit to China and pledged to make efforts in preparing for the event.

The two foreign ministers also exchanged their views on the issue of Iraq, currently a major concern of the international community.

Also on Sunday, Tang held separate talks with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Vanuatu Foreign Minister Alain Mahe, East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta and foreign ministers from member countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

(People's Daily September 16, 2002)