Below is an excerpt from an article published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China:

On March 28, 2007, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with President of Russia's Tatarstan Republic Mintimer Shaimiyev in Kazan. Both sides held talks in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

"Recent years have witnessed a good momentum for the development of the Sino-Russian relationship, which has reached an unprecedented level," Hu said. Regional cooperation is an important part of the strategic cooperation that the two countries are engaged in, Hu said. Regional cooperation and exchanges between China and Russia have seen vigorous growth in recent years, and still greater opportunities lie ahead, he said. "President Putin and I have agreed to give priority to the enhancement of regional cooperation between the two countries," Hu added.

Hu pointed out that the Tatarstan Republic, whose people are industrious and wise, enjoys abundant natural resources, a sound industrial foundation and solid strength for scientific research. The Chinese government values cooperation with Tatarstan, and will continue to encourage Chinese companies to carry out mutually beneficial cooperation with their counterparts in the Russian republic in infrastructure, scientific research, and in the manufacturing, processing and petrochemical industries, the Chinese president said, adding that China also supports cooperation with the Tatarstan Republic at the regional level. Hu also called for strengthening cooperation between China and Tatarstan in education, culture, tourism and other humanistic areas, to consolidate the social basis for friendship between both sides.

Shaimiyev expressed warm welcome for Hu's visit to the Tatarstan Republic. He said the development of the Russia-China strategic partnership of cooperation has brought benefits to the peoples of the two countries and also constitutes an important factor for international security and stability. Shaimiyev said the Tatarstan Republic hopes to learn from China, a nation that is developing rapidly. There are currently favorable conditions for developing regional cooperation between the two sides. Shaimiyev pledged efforts to promote cooperative ties with some of China's regions and said the two sides could carry out cooperation in the petrochemical industry, machinery manufacturing and scientific research. "We also hope to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in the humanistic area," said Shaimiyev. […]