Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Hu Jintao
Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Hu Jintao (as translated): Mr Prime Minister, I am very happy to see you again. We meet today as old friends. This time you have come on an official visit to my country, to attend the 14th meeting of the Heads of Government of China and Russia and the 8th meeting of the Council of the SCO Heads of Government.
Yesterday you conducted very productive talks with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, with whom you later attended a party held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia and the official ceremony of closing the Year of the Russian Language in China.
In both cases you spoke very warmly. I would also like to say that very intense and diverse events were scheduled for your visit, which has already achieved commendable results.
I am confident that your visit will be an additional and powerful impetus to the development of Chinese-Russian strategic interaction and partnership.
In this respect I would like to congratulate you on your successful visit, and to hear your comments at the press conference, where this important event will be recorded.
Vladimir Putin: To begin with, I would like to say that our visit is taking place in a special atmosphere, in the year of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China. We are happy to be with you at this important time and to share our feelings with the Chinese people.
Second, I would like to reaffirm the personal friendship between us, which helps us to resolve very many problems.
This is not my first visit to China. You know, I told my colleagues yesterday that everything here, in the neighbourhood where our residence is located, looks familiar to me. I come to this place as to a home away from home, because I know everything here.
