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President Vladimir Putin,

Dear minister, dear colleagues, allow me to wish you a warm welcome.

I am very glad to see you once more. I am pleased that our relations with the People’s Republic of China are developing positively, and that we are in constant contact on the highest level. The treaty on strategic partnership is working, and working at full force. Trade turnover between us increased by almost 25% last year. We see the attention that the Chinese leadership gives to Chinese-Russian relations, so at the beginning of our meeting, I would like to ask you to pass on my very best wishes to the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China. We will have several meetings this year. Of course, there will be the chance to discuss our cooperation at these meetings. And this is a special year for us – it marks 55 years since diplomatic relations were established between our two countries.

Li Zhaoxing:

First of all, allow me to pass on a warm greeting and the best wishes from Chairman Hu Jintao. Chairman Hu Jintao eagerly awaits a meeting with you in June this year at the Thailand summit. And both the government of our country and the Chinese people are also awaiting your visit to China in October this year. Your visit will undoubtedly be a milestone of the friendship and cooperation between our two great countries, China and Russia, and between our two peoples. It will also bring our strategic cooperation and partnership to a new level of development.

Minister Lavrov and I have just held very good, beneficial talks. We agreed that we would apply our joint efforts to insuring that your visit is a complete success, and so it gives the most positive results for the good of our relations.

The government and the people of China congratulate you on your re-election as President with an overwhelming majority of votes.

This is a reflection of the fact that the Russian people rate your success highly that has been achieved under your leadership in political and economic spheres. We are happy about the success achieved by the Russian people under your leadership. We are also grateful for the outstanding contribution that you, Mr. President, make to the development of Chinese-Russian relations.

The government of China attaches enormous importance to the development of relations with Russia. We want to see stability, prosperity and development in Russia, our neighbour. Relations of friendship and cooperation between our two countries have a strong political and social base, and also have an enormous potential, and excellent prospects for future development.

The Chinese side, together with the Russian side, spares no effort to fully realize the agreements that were made between you and Chairman Hu Jintao, and to fully implement the Treaty on good neighbourly relations, friendship and cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. We are also striving to increase our friendly, mutually beneficial cooperation in all practical areas. Together with the Russian side, we are prepared to increase our exchanges in all areas, such as events connected with the year of youth in China and Russia, which you initiated together with Chairman Hu Jintao. And we are certain that the peoples of our two great neighbouring nations will also be good neighbours, reliable partners and good friends. I will pass on your best wishes to Chairman Hu Jintao. I wish the Russian people further success under your leadership.