VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/. With visa-free travel going into effect between Russia and China on September 15, the two countries will be further joined by friendly bonds, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and presidential envoy in the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev said.

"I think this is a great move by our neighbors, a friendly and open step. This will naturally boost the tourist flow from Russia to China, but I don’t think this will create any competition with regard to tourism in the Far East. Because I think these are two different types of tourism that attract different types of people. I don’t think our Far East would lose anything but we will strengthen relations with our neighbors," he said at a briefing after the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

The Russian foreign ministry said earlier that on September 2, it received an official note from the Chinese embassy in Moscow informing that from September 15, China will abolish entry visa requirements for Russians with regular foreign passports for up to 30 days.

The 10th Eastern Economic Forum is taking place in Vladivostok from September 3 to 6 under the theme "The Far East: Cooperation for Peace and Prosperity." The business program will feature more than 100 thematic sessions divided into seven tracks. The forum is expected to bring together over 4,500 participants from more than 70 countries and territories. The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the EEF, with TASS as its general information partner.