Hua Jianmin (C), vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese chairman of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development (CRFCPD), and the committee's Russian chairman Leonid Drachevsky (L) attend the 9th plenary session of the CRFCPD in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2011. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The presidents of China and Russia voiced their wishes for the expansion of bilateral people-to-people relations in congratulatory messages delivered to a high-level meeting on Tuesday.
The ninth plenary session of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development (CRFCPD) gathered scores of senior officials and specialists from the two countries, including Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Kunsheng and Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov.
In his message, President Hu Jintao said he hopes the committee can pursue innovation, expand areas of cooperation and promote the role played by local communities in boosting people-to-people exchanges.
Hu also hailed the contributions made by the committee in consolidating bilateral people-to-people understanding.
During Hu's visit to Russia in June, both countries agreed to dedicate themselves to the development of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership based on equality, mutual trust, mutual support, common prosperity and lasting friendship.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in his message that he believes the plenary meeting will strengthen popular support for China-Russia relations and create new opportunities for the development of bilateral people-to-people ties.
Medvedev said the committee has played an important role in cementing mutual trust since the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation 10 years ago.
The plenary meeting was co-chaired by Hua Jianmin, who is also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the committee's Russian chairman Leonid Drachevsky.
China is currently Russia's largest trading partner, and trade volume between the two countries is expected to exceed 70 billion U.S. dollars this year.
The CRFCPD, initially proposed by the presidents of both nations, was established in 1997 with the aim of deepening understanding and promoting neighborly cooperation between China and Russia.
The 9th plenary session of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development (CRFCPD) is held in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2011. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)