MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. Cooperation between Russia and China loses its solely ceremonial function and becomes more practical, which is proven by the growth in number of agreements between Russian and Chinese companies, Evgeny Dridze, Deputy Head of the Moscow City Department for External Economic and International Relations stated on Friday during the "Chengdu-Moscow" forum on business cooperation, which takes place in Moscow.
"The relations with China are very important to us [in Russia], which have been developing for a long time, but recently, they have taken on a more active function," Dridze said. "The cooperation between Russia and China ceases to have a purely ceremonial nature - it is shown by the cooperation between Russian and Chinese businesses," he noted.
According to him, Russian and Chinese companies "need time" to augment relations. "Obviously, there is a difference in mindsets," Dridze continued. "However, the growing number of agreements between both countries’ businesses shows that the relations between Russia and China are taking on a practical function."
The Chengdu-Moscow forum took place for the first time in Moscow on Friday. Government officials and entrepreneurs from Moscow and Chengdu, as well as members of the media and employees of non-governmental organizations took part in the forum. On the outcomes of the forum, the officials signed an agreement on cooperation between Moscow and Chengdu in various spheres.