Medvedev in China: Who comes with him and why?

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On a visit to Beijing on Wednesday, the Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, brought along ministers of natural resources, agriculture, economic development and industry and trade among his delegation.

The presence of these officials – listed by the Russian news agency Tass – shows a key objective of Medvedev was greater trade and economic cooperation with China, especially in energy and agriculture.

Tass reported that during his visit, Medvedev expressed hope that the Russian-Chinese trade turnover will soon reach 100 billion US dollars.

"Despite the difficulties experienced by the global economy, our cooperation has been restored," he said. "Eventually, trade turnover did not contract; on the contrary, it grew by more than one third in the past eight months. We are pleased with this."

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Beijing. /Xinhua Photo

According to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who briefed the media with Medvedev, the two nations will continue to increase bilateral trade volumes and expand their cooperation in energy.

Also in the delegation was Alexander Galushka, the Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East. The Russian government has pledged to boost the economic growth of the remote and underdeveloped Far East region, which boasts ports and abundant energy resources.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev attend the closing ceremony of China-Russia Media Exchange Year program. / AP Photo

On Wednesday, Li and Medvedev attended the closing ceremony of the two-year China-Russia Media Exchange Year program.

The program was inaugurated by both countries’ presidents in 2015 and aimed to promote mutual understanding and media cooperation in global news coverage. That, of course, involves the work of Nikolai Nikiforov, Russia’s Minister of Communications and Mass Media who was also a delegation member.