Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed the countrys defense ties with China, as exemplified by a recent series of joint military exercises in Russias Urals region.
We have been successfully collaborating in the military and technical sphere, Putin said at a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Friday.
Exercises between our armed units testify to that, the Russian president said.
The joint anti-terrorism military exercise code-named Peace Mission 2013 was held at the Chebarkul military training area in the Chelyabinsk region from July 27 until August 15.
The military drill involved 1,500 ground and air forces and over 250 pieces of military hardware, including 20 aircraft and helicopters.
Russia and China have recently vowed to strengthen military ties to ensure an adequate and prompt response to common threats.
The Russian leader thanked Yang for his efforts to bolster bilateral relations when he was Chinas foreign minister.
Putin also said he and Chinese President Xing Jinping agreed to do everything to give Russian-Chinese relations a new impetus, a new quality, to take them to a higher level.
This also relates to economics, and China today is in first place regarding Russian trade. The same relates to security and international peace issues, he said.
The value of trade transactions between Russia and China totaled USD 87 billion last year.
Putin expressed hope that Yang, who assumed his new post as state councilor in March, and Russias Security Council would jointly do everything possible for our priority plans to be fulfilled.
Putin also said Moscow and Beijing would continue joint efforts and contribute to a successful summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in September.
Moscow and Beijing have held several joint military exercises since 2005 within the framework of the SCO.
The SCO comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and aims to strengthen efforts to counter terrorism and radicalization among member countries, and to coordinate work in other areas such as politics and trade.
