Official website of the President of Russia

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Xi Jinping (as translated): <…> In the first minutes after the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province you sent a telegram of condolences to President Hu Jintao. You also sent planes with aid deliveries for the stricken areas and a team of rescue workers and medical personnel arrived from Russia. This was invaluable support and help for us. China is the first more distant foreign country that you are visiting after taking office as President of Russia. All of this bears witness to the traditional ties of friendship between the Chinese and Russian peoples and is an indication of our high level of strategic partnership and cooperation. We express our heartfelt thanks for this.

Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Vice President, I am very pleased to meet you.

I fully agree with your assessment of the level of relations between our two countries. These are relations of strategic cooperation. We intend to continue developing these relations through every possible means, as is evidenced by this, my first visit abroad, as you said.

China has just suffered a great tragedy. The terrible earthquake has caused much loss of life. I want to express our sincere condolences once more, and I also want to inform you that I have instructed the Russian Defence Ministry to send a new group of planes to China with the necessary aid supplies, including tents that are needed today to provide shelter for the victims. We are ready to provide further assistance to the friendly Chinese people to help in the relief work following this devastating earthquake, and we will, of course, continue to build on our bilateral ties. I think that this visit will give them new strength and impetus and they will develop in accordance with the agreements that we signed yesterday.