Xi's Russia visit yields concrete results

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday wrapped up a state visit to Russia, the first leg of his maiden foreign trip since he took over the presidency earlier this month.

Analysts said the visit is more than a symbolic gesture of friendship.

The two countries laid out priorities for future cooperation, strengthened mutual political support and trust, and reached consensus on major bilateral and international issues, which would help cement the already sound ties, they said.

ADVANCEMENT OF WIN-WIN COOPERATION

During the visit, Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stood united behind the drive to translate the two countries' high-level political relationship into concrete cooperation results.

They witnessed the signing of a series of agreements. The two countries also ratified the 2013-2016 implementation guidelines of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.

Bilateral trade, a cornerstone of China-Russia economic ties, is expected to reach 100 billion U.S. dollars before 2015 and 200 billion dollars before 2020, ahead of previous schedule, the two leaders announced.

Energy cooperation between the two countries also holds great potential, said Yakov Berger, a professor at the Far East Institute of Russian Academy of Science.

When meeting with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Xi urged the two nations to accelerate the implementation of their energy cooperation agreements.

Arkady Dvorkovich, Russian deputy prime minister, told Xinhua the ongoing large-scale joint projects on oil, natural gas, nuclear and coal power will not only benefit both countries, but also reshape regional economic infrastructure.

Besides energy, experts suggest, China and Russia, the two highly complementary economies, should tap their cooperation potential in the fields such as agriculture, infrastructure, environmental protection, technology and space exploration.