Chinese President Hu Jintao presented the following five proposals for upgrading Sino-Russian ties during his Russia tour:

1. The two countries should become sincere political partners of mutual trust, further implement the concept of maintaining friendship for generations to foster peace that is set forth in the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, make developing bilateral ties a priority in each nation's foreign policy and enhance mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests.

2. The two countries should act as economic and trade partners, carry out cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit while looking ahead to the future, and maintain the momentum of the fast growth in trade volume and mutual investment. The two sides should implement a development program designed for bilateral trade and economic cooperation from 2006 to 2010 and an agreement on encouraging and protecting inter-governmental investment. The two sides should push for substantive progress in their cooperation in infrastructure construction, energy, science, technology, nuclear power and the processing of raw materials, improve their trade mix, rectify the trade order and optimize the investment environment. China supports and will assist Russia in joining the World Trade Organization at an early date, and China is ready to discuss with Russia cooperation patterns beneficial to both sides within the multilateral framework.

3. The two sides should become partners in scientific cooperation aimed at innovation. Both sides should tap their respective potential and advantages to conduct scientific and technological cooperation at multiple levels and through various channels, set priority directions and key projects for future cooperation in science and technology, and make a medium- and long-term plan for bilateral scientific cooperation. Both sides should also expand cooperation in space, bioengineering and information technology, promote the transformation of scientific achievements and at the same time expand joint research and development, the scale of cooperative production and technical transfer.

4. The two countries should be harmonious and friendly partners in humanistic cooperation. China and Russia should promote humanistic cooperation through reciprocal theme years. The committees for humanistic cooperation between the Chinese and Russian governments have put forward a lot of programs designed to expand cooperation in culture, education, health care, sports and tourism, and their subcommittees have also defined concrete projects that deserve to be seriously implemented. The two countries should strengthen youth exchanges and train successors for the Sino-Russian friendship cause.

5. The two sides should become partners that help each other in security cooperation, strengthen strategic security cooperation, effectively respond to new threats and challenges, push forward security cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, maintain regional security and stability and combat the forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism. The two countries should also coordinate closely to promote a multipolar world, maintain strategic balance and stability in the world, cement a consensus, eliminate disputes and conflicts, and contribute to world peace, stability and development.

(Source: Chinese Foreign Ministry)