Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived at Beijing and was received by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on his first official trip to China after assuming office on May 7, and later he met the Chinese President Hu Jintao for bilateral talks. Medvedev is accompanied mostly by high level businessmen including Vladamir Yevtushenkov, the chairman of AFT Sistema, which is into telecommunications, technology, real estate and retailing; Mikhail Pogosyan, the CEO of Sukhoi Aviation Holding Co.; Valery Okulov CEO of Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline and Andrei Kostin, CEO of VTB Group, one of the largest banks in Russia. Medvedev is inclined to continue Russia’s ties with China which was started since Boris Yeltsin era and later strengthened by former president and new Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Medvedev visited Kazakhstan prior to China and signed two deals on co-operation in nano technology and space with his counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev. Russia currently uses manned space flights from the Soviet-era Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan. Since his team consists of Business and financial experts, one is left to assume that Medvedev’s primary focus would be on trade. During his predecessor’s tenure, trade with China grew almost five times to $48 billion, and the same is estimated to double by 2010. The Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said they planned to seek investments on 30 projects including the construction of Olympic facilities of 2014 winter games.
China’s interest in purchasing more nuclear plants from Russia will also be tabled in the summit. Sino-Russian nuclear co-operation is likely to reach new high in terms of energy generation. As both nations being the permanent members of the UN Council, this co-operation could yield faster results as compared to the prolonged Indo-US pact. Medvedev, who previously visited China as the co-chair of festivities celebrating the Year of Russia in China (2006) and the Year of China in Russia (2007) will ensure that the existing agreements are continued, and possibilities of new ones will be explored in defense, trade and energy.