- On March 23, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, Vice President of the People's Republic of China and member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, will attend the opening ceremony for the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia.
- The Year of the Chinese Language in Russia is one of the most important events in Russian-Chinese relations in 2010. It will help strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations, especially between their young people. Over 80 events are planned as part of the Year of the Chinese Language, including R&D conferences, exhibitions, festivals, Chinese language and literature competitions and olympiads, as well as tours of Chinese theatre companies and music ensembles. There are also plans to open new Chinese language departments at universities, to institute student and teacher exchange programmes, and to organise summer camps for Russian school children in China.
- In 2009, China held the Year of the Russian Language, which involved 200 events in 14 provinces, 4 autonomous regions, 4 direct-controlled municipalities and 26 municipalities.
The Year of the Russian Language strengthened the presence of Russian language and culture in China. More broadly, it helped deepen ties between Russia and China and solidify the social and cultural foundation of the two countries' strategic partnership.
While on an official visit to China in autumn 2009, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin participated in the closing ceremony of the Year of the Russian Language in China.
- In the first half of the day, Mr Putin and Mr Jinping will discuss all aspects of Russian-Chinese economic and trade cooperation.
- The global recession has had a serious impact on world trade and economy, including the economic ties between Russia and China. Nevertheless, the two countries have managed to maintain their previous level of cooperation and have even made significant progress in a number of important areas.
There has been a positive trend in bilateral trade since late 2009: Overall trade began to decline at a slower pace, while trade in certain groups of goods began to increase. The export of Russian civil engineering products to China has been gradually rising, as have lumber exports. Despite the fact that bilateral trade dropped to $22 billion in 2009, Russian exports to China are becoming more and more important: China ranks sixth among Russia's trade partners in terms of the value of exported goods, up from seventh place in 2008. China has maintained and even increased its share in the Russian market. Russia's imports from China rose from 13.01% in 2008 to 13.65% in 2009.
The range of exported goods has expanded as well. For example, several large shipments of Russian coal were sent to China in 2009.
- Joint investment projects in Russia and China have been very successful. During the recession, China not only maintained its level of direct investment in the Russian economy, it raised it considerably, from $240 million in 2008 to $410 million in 2009. China's cumulative investment in Russia rose by 25.4%, reaching $2.24 billion. Timber processing, the production of consumer goods, high technology and raw material processing are among China's investment priorities.
- One of the most important and rapidly expanding areas of cooperation between Russia and China is fuel and energy. A number of agreements have been signed that will expand cooperation in the oil industry. The Agreement on Cooperation in the Oil Industry of April 2009 marked a major milestone in relations between the two countries: Beginning in 2011 Russia will start supplying oil to China through a pipeline system. Russian and Chinese companies have entered into several joint ventures in the oil industry, which is a testament to the high degree of trust between the two countries.
Russia and China cooperate extensively in nuclear energy: The construction of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is well underway; a uranium enrichment plant is under construction; and an experimental fast neutron reactor is under development.
- As the chairman of the nationwide party United Russia, Mr Putin plans to discuss with Mr Jinping - a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China - the interaction of the two parties, which have concluded the Framework Agreement and Protocol on Interparty Cooperation.