Russian businessmen welcome more trade co-op with China

MOSCOW, April 27 (Xinhua): The Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) would further facilitate economic and trade cooperation with China, newly elected chairman Sergei Katyrin said Tuesday. During a meeting with Chinese ambassador to Russia Li Hui, Katyrin said the CCI had been maintaining close communication with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCIPT). He said the CCI and the CCIPT had done a lot to promote the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and the CCI would continue devoting itself to this pragmatic bilateral cooperation. Li expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by the CCI and the CCIPT, stressing that the Chinese embassy in Moscow was ready to offer assistance to the enterprises from both countries and facilitate bilateral cooperation along with organisations such as the CCI and the CCIPT. Li also congratulated Katyrin on his election as CCI chairman. Katyrin and Li vowed to strengthen the contacts within the BRICS group, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The CCI is a non-governmental and non-profit organization aimed at promoting the growth of the Russian economy and its integration into the world economic system and providing favourable conditions for the advancement of all business sectors. According to the Chinese embassy in Moscow, the total trade volume between China and Russia hit 55.45 billion US dollars in 2010, up 43.1 per cent over the previous year.