Russia eyes more cooperation with China by linking development strategies

Russia and China are moving towards boosting their ties through more cooperation by linking the Moscow- led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) with Beijing's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said here Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed during Xi's recent visit to Moscow to link each other's economic development initiatives in order to inject fresh impetus into bilateral relations, Morgulov said at an international conference on Russia-China relations.

"There is an extremely important prospect for future cooperation," he said. "This is a major step towards the pairing of the two major initiatives and combining our strengths along the strategic path."

The minister said that the two sides are considering forming a kind of continental Eurasian partnership which would further enhance relations between China and EEU member states, adding that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is expected to play a key role in establishing such partnership.

Speaking highly of Russia-China relations, Morgulov hoped that Moscow could enjoy a similar relationship with the West.

"This is a new type of relations which could be recommended to all the countries in the world ... Moscow would be happy if the similar model exits in its ties with the West," he said.

Morgulov also thanked China for supporting Russia as this year' s rotating presidency country of the SCO to hold a summit in Ufa, capital of Russia's Bashkortostan republic, in early July.

The Silk Road Economic Belt initiative and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road were proposed by Xi when he visited Central Asia and Southeast Asia in September and October 2013. Both initiatives are aimed at enhancing international connections via building transportation networks.

The EEU, an economic union launched in January, currently includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Endite