MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. Cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is as fruitful as ever, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference.

"We know - and I will simply repeat it, I have to do it - that the level of our cooperation with the People’s Republic of China is unprecedentedly high," Putin pointed out.

He expects that Russia-China trade will grow by $220-230 bln this year. "We have said many times that we expect trade to reach the $200 bln mark next year. However, the goal will be achieved this year and not next year. This year, it will exceed $200 bln. We will need to recalculate in the first quarter of next year but I believe that trade will stand at $220-230 bln. It’s quite a lot. As for trade growth, it was 31% last year and this year, it will stand at 30%. We steadily develop our economic ties in various fields," Putin said.

"What makes me happy is that our relations are diverse. We maintain ties in the field of infrastructure, we build bridges and roads, we work together in high-tech areas. And we will continue in this way," Putin pointed out.

The head of state stressed that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s March visit to Russia had given a significant boost to bilateral relations. "We agreed to develop relations in eight main areas. Related documents were signed and the governments of Russia and China actively joined efforts to achieve the goals determined by my friend President Xi Jinping, who is also a friend of our country, and myself. Work is underway in an intensive, stable and reliable manner," Putin emphasized.