ST. PETERSBURG, June 6./TASS/. Ties between China and Russia remain stable amid a turbulent international situation, and will keep on developing, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Our cooperation in the very complex environment of the present day, although subject to certain difficulties, has a stable and predictable nature. And we hope that its development will continue - it will be mutually beneficial, it will be fast," he said.

The ambassador noted that under the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, "the relations between the two countries have reached the highest point of their development." "We have now exceeded $240 billion [in trade turnover] and have actually outstepped the bar set by our leaders ahead of schedule," the diplomat emphasized. "Our cooperation is growing at a very high pace," Zhang added.

"We hope that all the business people here will seize the moment to exchange information, share what their needs are, and will seek to learn more about each other," he summed up.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum takes place on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.