On March 23, 2012, Vice Premier Wang Qishan, also the Chinese chairman of the organizing committee for the "China-Russia Tourism Year", held talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov, also the Russian chairman of the organizing committee for the "China-Russia Tourism Year", at the Great Hall of the People.

Wang said in recent years, the comprehensive Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation has maintained sustained and rapid development, with deepening political mutual trust and fruitful cooperation in trade, energy, science and technology, humanities and other fields. Both sides have supported each other on issues involving sovereignty, security, development and other core interests and coordinated closely in international affairs. Wang said China has always regarded its relationship with Russia as a priority for its diplomatic agenda and is willing to work with Russia to fully implement a ten-year development plan for China-Russia relations so as to inject new impetus into China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

Wang said China and Russia, both big tourism countries, have complementary tourism markets and rich tourism resources, laying a sound foundation for cooperation in the field. "Sino-Russian tourism cooperation now has unprecedented opportunities. The 'China-Russia Tourism Year' is the third theme year to be held following the 'China-Russia National Year' and the 'China-Russia Year of Language'. The 'tourism year' initiatives will expand consumption, help boost our economies and employment and benefit both peoples," Wang said. He hoped the two sides will keep close coordination, strengthen cooperation and work together to develop tourism into a new highlight of bilateral strategic cooperation. China hopes to strengthen tourism cooperation with Russia to bring the total number of mutual tourists to 5 million by 2015, said Wang. Both sides should strengthen tourism promotion, deepen tourism education and training, expand two-way investment in tourism, improve the mechanism for ensuring the safety of tourists and promote local tourism cooperation. He believed that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Russia tourism year will be a great success.

Wang said that China and Russia are committed to promoting economic restructuring and accelerating modernization. The two sides should strengthen cooperation on scientific and technological innovation, to provide strong scientific support for the economic development of the two countries.

Surkov said Russia attaches great importance to developing comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation with China and is willing to further promote bilateral cooperation in all fields. He believed that Russia-China tourism year will promote the bilateral economic and cultural cooperation and enhance mutual understanding. He said he fully agrees with Wang's proposal on tourism cooperation and welcomes more Chinese tourists to Russia. "Russia also welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in tourism and infrastructure, and at the same time hopes to promote the two countries' high-tech cooperation through tourism to achieve mutual complementarity," he said.