Thu, June 07, 2012
By Mei Jingya, Sina English
China and Russia expect to cut troop levels along their border, according to a joint statement issued Wednesday.
The statement was released during Russian President Vladimir Putin's three-day state visit to China, where he is also attending the 12th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization being held in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday.
The two neighboring countries, in line with the spirit of mutual trust and benefit, also reached an understanding on joint management of trans-border rivers, enhancing construction of infrastructures as well as harnessing the potential of trade activities along the border.
China and Russia will firmly adhere to the principles of mutual support for each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and other issues of core interests, according to the statement.
The troop reduction pact reflects further improvement of Sino-Russian ties on various fronts.
At a press conference after his meeting with Chinese president Hu Jintao on Tuesday, Putin related that Russia and China are also in discussions of co-developing wide-bodied airliners and heavy helicopters.
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China, Russia issue joint statement
