China Has No Intention of Impeding Russia's Joining WTO

While speaking today in Beijing about the results of his meeting with Jiang Ze Ming, Chairman of the People's Republic of China, Mikhail Kasyanov, Russia's Prime Minister, said, 'China will not try and impede Russia's joining the World Trade Organisation'. He also said that the realisation of a number of joint Russian-Chinese large projects might result in trade turnover between the two countries in the neighborhood of USD 30 billion in 10 years from now.

Mr. Kasyanov said the projects concerned deeper cooperation in the production of electricity and agriculture. For instance, Russia hopes to be included in the giant project of hydroelectric construction about to begin in China. Also, Russia's professionals, he said, would take part in a large-scale programme of the economic development of China's western provinces.