China and Russia signed an agreement on Tuesday on the use and
protection of trans-border waterways, according to a statement from
the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
"The Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic
of China and the Government of the Russian Federation on Reasonable
Utilization and Protection of Transboundary Waters" was signed by
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and the visiting Russian
Natural Resources Minister, Yuri Trutnev.
The agreement specifies the scope, contents and methods of
bilateral cooperation and provided legal foundations for further
cooperation, the statement said.
"The agreement indicates the two countries have entered a new
phase of cooperation in water use and protection and will further
promote Sino-Russian strategic partnership of coordination," it
said.
In preparing for the agreement, Trutnev met with Zhou Shengxian,
head of China's State Environmental Protection Administration, and
Chen Lei, Chinese Minister of Water Resources, on Monday, the
statement added.
China and Russia share about 3,500 kilometers of trans-border
water bodies including the Ergun, Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers
and Xingkai Lake.
(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2008)
