2020年CRI Deputy PM suggests Russia, China work closely on IT, AI（在线收听）

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov says that besides energy, China and Russia also have great potential for cooperation in information technology and artificial intelligence.

In honor of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, a high-end forum on China-Russia cooperation was held in Moscow.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov says strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination with China is one of the priorities of Russia's diplomacy.

He says China has become one of Russia's most important trade partners.

The trade volume between China and Russia reached nearly 108 billion U.S. dollars last year.

The figure accounted for 16 percent of Russia's total foreign trade.

Plans have been made to elevate bilateral trade volume to 200 billion dollars every year in the coming five years.

The Russian Deputy Prime Minister says the cooperation between China and Russia can be extended from energy to all-areas such as information technology and artificial intelligence.

"A technology war is ongoing in today's world. That's why the cooperation in high tech is of great importance to our bilateral relations. Our trade will not only focus on fossil fuels, but all areas. There is great potential for us in cooperation in information technology, including data switching technology, big data storage, high precision surveying and mapping as well as logistics monitoring. We also share great willingness in cooperation in artificial intelligence."

Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin put forward an "all-year-round operation plan" to secure Russia's foothold in the Arctic, including efforts to build new ports and other infrastructure facilities and expand an icebreaker fleet.

Akimov says in the future, construction involving the Arctic Waterways can be a focus for China and Russia to cooperate.

"Russia intends to join China's strategy of 'Maritime Silk Road' with the Arctic Waterways and establish a competitive new route connecting Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia with Europe. The waterways will bring benefits to the traditional energy transport industry. And it will also serve as a 'fast track' for enterprises engaged in container transport across Europe and Asia."

Akimov says the relations between China and Russia have reached their best level in history and he hopes the momentum will continue.

"The world is now shrouded in instability and uncertainty. We need to strengthen strategic cooperation and coordinate our standings to deal with domestic and international challenges."

The forum was held ahead of the 23th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Chinese president Xi Jinping will attend the forum as part of his state visit to Russia.