Tatarstan arranges regional cooperation with China

On Tuesday Mintimer Shaimiev, President of Tatarstan (in the Volga area), had a meeting in Kazan's Kremlin with a Chinese delegation led by Li Lanqing, deputy premier of the State Council and member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

The visit to Russia by the Li Lanqing delegation "will make Russian-Chinese relations even stronger and more fruitful", Shaimiev told RIA Novosti.

Li Lanqing showed interest in cooperation with Tatarstan in the field of education, culture, health protection and sport.

Shaimiev said that Li Lanqing has given Tatarstan an opportunity to choose a Chinese province and arrange cooperation with it.

At these negotiations a proposal was made to develop centers of traditional Chinese medicine in Tatarstan.

The sides showed much interest also in economic cooperation, said the Tatar leader.

The Chinese delegation has arrived in Russia for an official visit, timed to coincide with an anniversary of concluding a treaty of goodneighbourliness, friendship and cooperation between Russia and the People's Republic of China. On its agenda is participation in a session of the Russian-Chinese commission for cooperation in education, culture, health protection and sport.

The commission is chaired, on the Chinese side, by Li Lanqing and, on the Russian side, by Vice-Premier Valentina Matvienko.