Sino-Russia ties enter new chapter with booming trade

 HARBIN, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The volume of trade between China and Russia in 2012 will hit 90 billion U.S. dollars, close to the 100-billion target for 2015 set during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China earlier this month, a Russian trade representative predicted on Friday.

Bilateral¹ trade in the first five months of this year has been growing steadily², with an increase of 20 percent year-on-year, the fastest among all China's major trade partners, according to Sergey Tsyplakov, trade representative of the Russian Federation³ in China.

"I think the goals of reaching 100 billion U.S. dollars in bilateral trade volume by 2015 and 200 billion U.S. dollars by 2020 are completely within reach," Tsyplakov said during the opening ceremony of Russia Business Day in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

"We are happy to see that border trade and cooperation between local governments are more vibrant⁴ than before and have become an important part of bilateral trade," said Zhong Shan, China's vice⁵ minister of commerce, at the event.

"Russia Business Day is an important platform for bilateral trade and I have full confidence that the trade targets will be realized," Zhong said.

Russia Business Day is a major part of the ongoing⁶ 23rd China Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair.

In 2011, bilateral trade reached 80 billion U.S. dollars, representing a 42.7-percent year-on-year rise.

Behind the booming trade lies the political will from both sides to tighten⁷ bilateral relations.

While running for Russian president, presidential candidate Vladimir Putin said that China was not a threat to Russian economy, adding that there is a need to properly build relationships with Chinese corporations, according to an article by Putin published in the Moscow News on Feb. 27, 2012.

"The growth of the Chinese economy is not a threat but a challenge that carries huge potential for business cooperation, the chance to catch the Chinese wind in the sails of our economy," Putin said in the article.

He also called for "actively⁸ building new cooperative ties, matching the technology and manufacturing capabilities⁹ of our countries and using China's capacity for the economic development of Siberia and the Far East."

In June, Putin paid a state visit to China and attended the 12th meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was held in Beijing from June 6 to 7.

During his talks with the visiting president, President Hu Jintao said China and Russia are both committed to restructuring their economies and addressing risks and adverse¹⁰ influences in the global economy.

Hu said China and Russia should expand their cooperation in investment, energy, technology, large-scale projects and trans-border infrastructure¹¹, as well as sub-national cooperation.

Putin said there is immense potential and broad prospects¹² for cooperation between Russia and China.

President Putin visited China during his first foreign visit after becoming president in 2012. During the visit, Putin had fruitful talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and Premier¹³ Wen Jiabao, Tsyplakov said.

Tsyplakov said a united China with rapid development is in the best interest of Russia, adding that bilateral trade is very important for the two countries' relations.

"A developing relationship between the two countries is consistent with the long-term interests of both sides. Therefore, what is needed right now is to add substance to this aspiration," Tsyplakov said.

Song Kui, a researcher with the Heilongjiang Provincial¹⁴ Academy of Social Sciences, said both countries attach great importance to the trade fair.

The fair is enjoying perfect timing¹⁵, coming right after President Putin's visit and prior to Russia's entry to the World Trade Organization, Song said.

"Political relations between China and Russia are stable and the two countries have no territory disputes, which is very good news, as the two sides can focus on economic cooperation," Song said.

Konstangin Kholozhenko, a businessman from Russia, said he believes bilateral trade will be more active.

"I agree with President Putin regarding bilateral relations (with China). I hope the Russian government will do more to attract China's investment and technology," Kholozhenko said.

Li Na, a sales representative of Quanlong Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of construction materials in east China's Jiangsu province, said his company is attending the fair in hopes of testing the waters in eastern Russia, as their business has thus far been confined to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

"We hope to sell our products to the Far East. It is totally plausible¹⁶, as when Russia develops this region, they will be in great need for building materials. They may likely choose our products, as our products have competitive prices," Li said.

"The development of Russia's Far East is great news for companies like us, as booming trade means more business opportunities," said Sergey Budnikov, general manager of FIBDEL, a company that specializes in custom clearance¹⁷, transport and logistics.

Budnikov said that for many Russian companies, the competition brought by Chinese companies may not be welcome.

However, it is mainly up to these companies to seek out opportunities and avoid risks, he added.

China is Russia's biggest trading partner, while Russia is the fastest-growing country among China's major trade partners, Sergey Razov, Russian ambassador to China, said in early June.

Official records show that 17.82 billion U.S. dollars' worth of overseas-related contracts were signed at the 2011 fair.

"I am ready to do business with my Chinese counterparts, and next year I will still attend the fair," Kholozhenko said.

1 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

2 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

3 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

4 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

8 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

9 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

10 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

13 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

14 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

15 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

16 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

17 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。