Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming visit to Russia will be friendly, pragmatic and fruitful, said Vice Foreign Minister Li Hui in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wen will pay an official visit to Russia and attend the 13th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian prime ministers from October 27 to 29 at the invitation of his counterpart Vladimir Putin.

During his stay, Wen will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and senior leaders of Russian parliament, to exchange views on fulfilling consensus between the two presidents of both countries, strengthening Sino-Russian strategic cooperation and deepening cooperation in economy, trade, energy, science, technology, and culture, Li told a press briefing.

The two sides would also discuss major international and regional issues of common concern, Li said.

"This visit will help increase Sino-Russian mutual trust in politics, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, promote friendship between the two peoples, and lift the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation into a new level," Li said.

The two nations would sign a joint communique on the 13th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian prime ministers, and other documents of bilateral cooperation during Wen's visit, he noted.

The mechanism of regular meetings between the two prime ministers, consisting of three branches covering the prime ministers' meeting, cultural cooperation and energy resources negotiation, is of the highest standard in China's foreign relations, Li said, referring to its full-scale organizations and broad areas concerned.

This mechanism played important role in enhancing Sino-Russian relations, and set a good example for the country-to-country cooperation, he noted.

Wen and Putin, during the upcoming 13th meeting, will review the implementation of the fruits of the three meetings between the two presidents this year and the 12th regular meeting, and try to resolve the problems existing in bilateral cooperation.

The two sides will also lay out the cooperation program in the next year, Li said, noting that China and Russia will work together to enhance mutual support in politics, expand cooperation in economy and trade, and promote exchanges between the two peoples.

Referring to the energy resources cooperation between China and Russia, Li said the two neighboring nations enjoyed advantage in transportation convenience, and to make win-win energy resources cooperation accorded with fundamental interests of both sides.

The two nations witnessed smooth and fruitful cooperation in energy resources, Li noted. The second meeting of the energy resources negotiation mechanism, launched in July this year, will be convened in the near future.

Russia's Pacific Ocean crude oil pipeline under construction will provide convenience for the future cooperation in oil and gas between China and Russia, Li said.

Moreover, the two nations enjoy respective advantage in the cooperation in nuclear energy for civil use and witness sound progress in the cooperation programs including Tianwan nuclear power station in east China's Jiangsu Province, uranium enrichment and fast neutron reactor, Li noted.

Li said the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation will be further strengthened with the stable development of the cooperation in energy resources

The Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation, experiencing 12 year's development, have reached unparalleled level and entered the path of stable and healthy growth, Li said.

The bilateral trade volume was expected to reach 50 billion US dollars this year, according to Li.

(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2008)