China lauds ties with Russia

MOSCOW, May 13 (UPI) -- A top Chinese official says Sino-Russian relations have maintained growth and have reached "an unprecedented level."

In extensive coverage of the Moscow visit of Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, the official Xinhua news agency quoted the top legislator as saying upon his arrival Wednesday, "China-Russia relations have maintained a strong momentum of growth and reached an unprecedented level."

China and Russia this year will observe the 60th anniversary of setting up diplomatic ties. Wu's visit comes ahead of the scheduled trip of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Russia next month, the report said.

In the past year, top leaders of the two countries have been in close contact trying to build a closer relationship against the background of fast changes in global situation, Xinhua reported.

President Hu and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev have met five times since last May. Bilateral trade reached a record high of more than $50 billion in 2008.

The two countries should exchange views on maintaining stability of their own financial market and pushing forward reform of the international financial and currency systems, Wu said.

Medvedev, after meeting Wu, was quoted as saying strengthening their cooperation would also be conducive "to resumption of world economy and establishment of a new, just and rational international political and economy system," Xinhua reported.

Wu also was scheduled to visit Austria and Italy.