Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi met with Vice-Governor Yevgeny Muravyov of Krasnodar and Mayor of Sochi Viktor Kolodyazhny in Sochi, Russia, June 11, 2007.

Wu said that China-Russia relations have entered into a new period of rapid growth. The ever expanding and deepening local cooperation in various forms between the two countries has become a new bright spot of bilateral ties. China and Russia have 70 pairs of friendly cities and provinces which serve as important links and bridge of friendship and exchange between the two peoples. The "Year of Russia" and the "Year of China" create favorable opportunities for the progress of bilateral ties. One third of the nearly 200 events during the "Year of China" held this year involve cooperation at local level. 22 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities will hold activities in Russia, covering various fields including trade, culture, education and tourism. It can be said that the cooperation between the two countries at local level enjoys great potential and promising prospects.

The Russian side noted that the dynamic progress of Russia-China relations has stimulated the bilateral cooperation at local level. The local government and businesses of Krasnodar have actively conducted exchanges and cooperation with China at local level in recent years, with increasing people-to-people contact, closer business cooperation and rapid growth of trade. Sochi is applying to host the 2014 Winter Olympics and will make great efforts to develop the infrastructure and communication industry. Russia expects to broaden the mutually beneficial cooperation with China in such fields as construction, farm products, timber processing, fishery, aquaculture and tourism and push for greater progress of bilateral ties.