MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and China are increasing their cooperation every year, Chinese President Hu Jintao said Thursday at a meeting with the chairman of parliament's upper chamber. Bilateral cooperation is especially active in the trade and economic sphere and in the energy sector, said Sergei Mironov, the Speaker of Russia's Federation Council.
Jintao said that interregional cooperation contributed much to the development of Russian-Chinese economic relations and added that more than 60 cities and provinces in China had partner relations with Russia's cities and regions.
Border territories accounted for at least 25% of bilateral trade, he said.
According to Jintao, the implementation of bilateral projects and programs will help Russia and China coordinate their development strategies.
Russian-Chinese economic relations had strong potential and bilateral trade and economic turnover could and should be developed, he said.
Jintao said he expects both countries' parliaments to make intensive efforts to lay a foundation for friendship.
Mironov supported Jintao's proposal and suggested establishing a special parliamentary structure within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) to expedite the process.
