Jiang's courting of Moscow to bear fruit during Putin visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be the first leader of a major foreign country to meet the nation's new leaders when he arrives for a three-day visit on December 1.

President Jiang Zemin will greet Mr Putin for the last time in his role as head of state before his retirement in March. Mr Jiang, a Russian speaker who has invested heavily in improving relations with Moscow during the past decade, is likely to highlight the two nations' strategic partnership.

The leaders were expected to focus on common interests and minimise potential sources of friction under the framework established in the Sino-Russian Friendship Treaty, according to Professor Li Jingjie, director of the Institute of East European, Russian and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The treaty was signed in Moscow last year.

China and Russia had improved their relations with the United States since the September 11 terrorist attacks and the two countries were basically in agreement over the weapons inspections in Iraq, he said.

The two sides have sought to boost bilateral trade, which is poised to take off with increased co-operation in technology and energy. Until recently, trade consisted mainly of low-priced consumer products from China and unprocessed and semi-processed raw material from Russia.

Last year's trade volume totalled US$10.7 billion (HK$83.4 billion). Analysts estimate actual trade would have topped US$12 billion if the large 'grey trade' was included.