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Ukrainian president ends visit to China with meeting with State Council PM

During the visit, Yanukovich held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier of the Chinese State Council Ma Kai

© AP Photo/Wang Zhao, Pool

BEIJING, December 06, 12:56 /ITAR-TASS/. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich’s four-day visit to China on Friday ended with a meeting with Premier of the Chinese State Council Li Keqiang.

The Ukrainian leader spoke about favourable prospects for the further development of Ukrainian-Chinese strategic partnership, expressed satisfaction with the recovery of bilateral relations and successful dialogue. He also invited Li to visit Ukraine. The Chinese premier accepted the invitation, telling the two countries’ foreign ministers to agree on the visit timeframe.

During the visit, Yanukovich held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier of the Chinese State Council Ma Kai, met with Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhang Dejiang. Thus, the Ukrainian president’s visit to China was held at the highest level, despite the Ukrainian opposition’s statements that its level had been allegedly not high.

On Thursday, on the results of Chinese-Ukrainian negotiations, Viktor Yanukovich and Xi Jinping signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between China and Ukraine, as well as a Joint Declaration on the further development of strategic partnership. About 10 more agreements were concluded during the visit, including on scientific-technical co-operation, the supplies of Ukrainian soybeans and barley to China, interaction in the tourism sphere, Chinese traditional medicine, energy efficiency and energy saving, new energy sources and the construction of industrial facilities in Ukraine. In particular, it is planned to build a deepwater port in Crimea with the assistance of Chinese companies. China will also help Ukraine to build synthetic natural gas plants. The Ukrainian side says it is planned to attract some eight billion U.S. dollars in investment in the project.

An informed Chinese expert told Itar-Tass that funds would be allocated for specific projects of co-operation under new and earlier concluded agreements.

Yanukovich expressed Ukraine’s support to the Chinese transport infrastructure development initiative Silk Road, the expansion of cultural exchanges and economic ties among the countries through which the ancient trade road ran.

The Ukrainian president visited China Radio International (CRI) where he launched webcasting in the Ukrainian language.

Yanukovich also visited the administrative centre of the Shaanxi province in northwest China - Xian city. He visited the Xian aircraft company and the well-known Terracotta Army Museum of China’s first Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.

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