China interested in Russian science

Songde Ma, China's deputy technology and science minister and the cochairman of the Chinese-Russian commission for scientific and technological cooperation, said that China was interested in Russia's advancements in science.

"Russia and China are influential powers and good neighbors," he said in Beijing during a meeting with Russian reporters, who were invited to China by the Renmin Ribao holding company. "Our countries have a tremendous potential for cooperation and we are ready to do everything possible to develop it."

Russia has outstanding scientists and advanced scientific and technological developments and equipment. "Since the time of reforms and openness," he said, "China has been constantly perfecting conditions for realizing them."

According to him, if China and Russia unite their efforts in science and technology, both countries will achieve mutual advantages and progress.

In 1996, China and Russia agreed to establish equitable cooperation aimed at interaction in the 21st century, he said.

In 2001, the two countries concluded a treaty on good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation and created a mechanism of exchanging opinions, including regular meetings of Chinese and Russian leaders and heads of government and intergovernmental commissions for cooperation in economy, trade, science and technology, noted the deputy minister.

He said that the creation of three Russian-Chinese technical centers in Chinese towns was a good example.

"In these centers many Russian scientific and technological advancements were developed and realized," he said. "For example, in the Zhejiang province [the capital of Hangzhou, Eastern China] local enterprises and the Russian side jointly organized the output of chemical products of great economic importance." Apart from that, according to him, a big step has been made toward the creation of a Chinese-Russian Science and Research Park in Moscow.

He also reminded the reporters that in the 1950s-1960s many Chinese specialists either studied in the Soviet Union or worked with Soviet scientists. Until today, "several of them still maintain close relations and this is an important element in bilateral cooperation," he said.

An important task today is to create a mechanism to stimulate an exchange of knowledge between the young scientists of the two countries, he said.