Beijing, Oct 22 (IANS): Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev here Tuesday.

Speaking highly of Medvedev's efforts to boost bilateral ties, Xi said the current China visit is of great importance for stronger China-Russia relations, Xinhua reported.

This is the fifth meeting between Xi and Medvedev since 2008. During Xi's state visit to Russia in March, they reached a broad consensus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Xi said China and Russia were good neighbours and strategic partners, both in name and in essence.

He reviewed the more active momentum of China-Russia all-round strategic partnership of coordination since the beginning of this year, saying leaders of the two countries reached agreements on the direction of bilateral relations and major cooperative projects.

Xi called on the two countries to stick to the ideal of good neighbourly friendship and mutual support, acquire a deep understanding of how China-Russia relations will impact on the two countries and the whole world, step up experience sharing on state governance for the common development and benefit for the two peoples.

Medvedev is visiting Beijing to co-chair the 18th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.

Xi said the regular meeting has promoted the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries since its inception in 1996.

Xi called for joint efforts to further fulfill a consensus reached between the two countries' leaders, deepen energy cooperation in an all-round way and expand cooperation in other areas such as high technology and manufacturing, promote diversification of trade cooperation, and implement major cooperative projects of strategic significance.

Besides, he called for a boost to the China-Russia cultural and youth exchanges, and to the coordination in preventing and fighting natural disasters.
Xi spoke highly of fruitful bilateral cooperation in global and regional affairs, adding they had safeguarded common interests and justice.

"Both countries should continue to enhance strategic coordination, maintain the authority of the United Nations and its Security Council, safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations, in a bid to jointly promote world peace, stability and development," he said.

Medvedev conveyed to Xi greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Russia and China enjoyed broad common interests.

Maintaining close cooperation meets the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples, and is of significance to world peace, stability and development.

Hailing fruitful bilateral cooperation in various fields, he said the close cooperation between both countries in fighting flood and disaster relief in Heilongjiang river valley, had reflected special and high-level relations between both sides.

Medvedev vowed joint efforts with China to make full play of the regular meeting mechanism, step up exchanges and cooperation in such areas as trade, technology, energy, agriculture, environmental protection and culture, enhance strategic coordination in global and regional affairs, in a bid to bring bilateral ties up to a new stage.

Medvedev arrived in Beijing early Tuesday for a two-day official visit at the invitation of Li Keqiang.

Apart from Beijing, Medvedev will visit east China's Anhui Province.