RUSSIA: MOSCOW: CHINESE PREMIER LI PENG VISIT скачать в хорошем качестве

RUSSIA: MOSCOW: CHINESE PREMIER LI PENG VISIT

(27 Dec 1996) Natural Sound President Boris Yeltsin praised the new strategic partnership between Russia and China during a meeting Friday at the Kremlin with the visiting Chinese premier. Li Peng's visit coincides with an announcement in Beijing Friday that China, Russia and three other former Soviet republics have reached an agreement to reduce forces along their borders. In addition to military agreements, Russia is wooing the powerful Chinese economy in order to boost income for Russia's cash-strapped defence industry. Russian President Boris Yeltsin appeared healthy and revitalised Friday, meeting his first foreign visitor since returning to work after heart surgery. Chinese premier Li Peng is in Moscow on a three-day visit aimed at tightening strategic ties between the two giants. Russia, with its ailing economy, sees China as a lucrative market for its arms and technical expertise. The two nations also regard each other as valuable counterbalances in their often complex relations with other nations. The meeting with Li was Yeltsin's first with a foreign leader since the 65-year-old Russian president returned to the Kremlin this week after an almost six-month absence due to heart problems. Yeltsin visited Beijing in April, firming up a series of agreements setting up a hotline and limiting troop movements in border areas. During the 1960s, China and the former Soviet Union battled along their border when the two nuclear rivals were fighting for the leadership of the world communist movement. In addition to Russia's increasing arms sales to its former Communist rival, contracts for huge nuclear and hydroelectric projects are on the agenda for Li. His visit also is intended to lay the groundwork for a spring summit in Moscow between Yeltsin and his Chinese counterpart, Jiang Zemin. Military trade between the two is expanding rapidly. This year, China purchased advanced Su-27 jet fighters and the technology to make more. Last month, the nations reportedly signed deals that could bring Russia's cash- strapped defence industry billions of dollars in Chinese orders. Both countries see enormous potential for increased overall trade, which will hit 7 billion U-S dollars this year, up 1.5 billion U-S dollars over last year, according to Russian officials. China, its economy booming, can afford to buy more sophisticated Russian military technology. Russia, meanwhile, is suffering a sixth straight year of economic contraction, with its gross domestic product shrinking by about 6 percent in 1996. Li was scheduled for talks later Friday with Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, the first of what are intended to be a regular series of meetings between the Russian and Chinese premiers. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...