Federation Council Deputy Speaker underscores commitment during working visit and address at the 6th China-Russia SME Forum.
Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Nikolai Zhuravlev has concluded a working visit to the People’s Republic of China, where he participated in the 6th China-Russia SME Forum in Xi’an and held high-level meetings with Chinese officials. The forum was organised by the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace, and Development.
A central meeting of the visit was with Li Hongzhong, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress and Co-Chair of the Russian-Chinese Committee. In their discussions, both sides underscored the crucial role of personal dialogue between the nations’ leaders, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, in ensuring the strategic stability of the bilateral partnership. “The governments and legislative bodies of Russia and China are doing everything necessary to implement the agreements reached at the highest level,” the parliamentarian stated.
The meeting, also attended by Boris Titov, Presidential Special Representative for Sustainable Development and Russian Co-Chair of the Committee, recognised the Committee’s effective performance as a vital platform for advancing joint projects.
Addressing the forum’s plenary session, Nikolai Zhuravlev highlighted that bilateral trade approached 20 trillion roubles in 2024, with transitions almost fully settled in national currencies. “China continues to successfully pursue its policy of reform and development in the new high-tech era. Russia is undergoing a similar process, transforming its economy through the introduction of cutting-edge technologies,” the Deputy Speaker noted.
He placed particular emphasis on the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as drivers of innovation. Nikolai Zhuravlev affirmed that supporting Russian SMEs and facilitating their access to the Chinese market is a priority for the Federation Council. He pointed to active parliamentary cooperation, recalling Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko’s meeting last summer in Geneva with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, whose visit to Moscow is anticipated next year.
The parliamentarian outlined the ongoing development of a regulatory framework designed to foster sustainable economic growth and bilateral trade. “The recently updated and now active Agreement on the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments will elevate our investment cooperation to a new level. We expect it to stimulate the establishment of new joint ventures, including through the potential establishment of an international priority development area in Russia’s Primorye Territory,” Nikolai Zhuravlev concluded.
During his stay, the Deputy Speaker also met with Zhao Yide, Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CPC, and Zhao Gang, Governor of Shaanxi Province. Discussions focused on enhancing interregional cooperation, including trade, logistics, tourism, and participation in joint infrastructure initiatives between regions.
Nikolai Zhuravlev reiterated that the Federation Council, as the chamber of Russia’s regions, steadfastly supports the expansion of regional ties and stands ready to assist producers from across Russia in integrating with Chinese markets.