June 5, 2012 - 16:54 AMT
Russia’s Putin starts visit to China

Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive on Tuesday, June 5 in China for a two-day visit to discuss a variety issues with the focus on bilateral economic cooperation, RIA Novosti reported.

The sides are expected to sign a joint communiqué and 17 agreements between the governments and companies from both countries, including in the energy sector, industry and innovation technologies.

The Russian president expressed hope that Moscow and Beijing would continue close cooperation in the energy sector, including the construction of nuclear power reactors in China.

“Russia has helped China to build the first stage of the Tianwan nuclear power plant (NPP), which is considered the safest in China, according to stress-tests,” Putin wrote. “We are hoping to continue our cooperation in the construction of the second and further stages of the Tianwan NPP and the construction of other energy –generating facilities in China,” he said.

The agenda of the upcoming Russian-Chinese talks also includes the discussion of border issues, including worker migration and shared use of bio-resources, and the coordination of positions on the international arena.

During his stay in Beijing, Putin will take part in a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security grouping that comprises Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.