Chinese Environmental Protection Minister Zhou Shengxian met with Russian Natural Resources and Ecology Minister Yuri Trutnev in Moscow on Thursday. They agreed that Russia and China have made great progress in environmental cooperation and pledged to boost the cooperation.

Addressing the third meeting of the environmental cooperation sub-commission, Zhou introduced the measures taken by the Chinese government in a bid to save energy and reduce emission, as well as the long-term plan to clean up the Songhua (known as Sungari in Russia) River.

Trutnev, for his part, spoke highly of the achievements acquired by China in the sphere, adding that Russia-China environmental cooperation has changed drastically over the past two years.

"Russia and China think alike about environmental issues," Trutnev said. "Our work will be efficient and bring benefit to our ecology and peoples."

Moreover, Zhou thanked Trutnev for condolences and humanitarian aid sent by Russia after the devastating earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province on May 12.

He also invited Trutnev and other members of the Russian delegation to visit China during the Olympiad this August.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2008)