MOSCOW, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia have pledged closer exchanges and cooperation in various fields at the subnational level through two major mechanisms with fresh impetus.
On Tuesday, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended a chairpersons' meeting in Moscow of the China-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation and Development of Northeast China and the Far East and Baikal Region of Russia, together with Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev.
On Wednesday in Kazan, Zhang attended the fifth meeting of the council of cooperation between the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Volga Federal District, together with Igor Komarov, the Russian presidential envoy to the Volga Federal District.
During the meetings, Zhang said the Chinese side is willing to work with the Russian side to build on the robust momentum and progress made in the cooperation within the Northeast-Far East and Yangtze-Volga frameworks under the strategic guidance of Chinese and Russian leaders.
He called for joint efforts to fully implement the important consensus reached between the heads of state of the two countries, enhance cooperation mechanisms, strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, transportation and agriculture, and foster partnership in cross-border e-commerce, digital economy and green development.
Zhang stressed the need to further boost cultural, educational and tourism exchanges to inject fresh vitality into subnational cooperation.
During the meetings, the Russian side commended the achievements made in the subnational cooperation with the Chinese side, and pledged stronger commitment to expanding exchanges and cooperation and pushing the Far East-Northeast and Volga-Yangtze cooperation to yield more fruitful outcomes, so as to make greater contribution to the development of Russia-China relations.
While in Kazan, Zhang also held talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, attended the China-Russia Yangtze-Volga university alliance forum and visited the Kazan IT Park. ■
