Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday, exchanging views on major international and regional issues of common concern and agreeing to further strengthen bilateral ties.

The China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination has a solid foundation, featuring rich contents, extensive influence and huge potential, Wen said, adding it has become a strategic support for the two countries' respective development and served as an important guarantee for world peace and stability.

Developing ties with Russia is a priority of China's foreign policies, he said, adding China is ready to constantly increase mutual political trust and support, deepen pragmatic cooperation and people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Russia, and promote the long-term, sound and steady development of its strategic partnership of coordination with Russia.

The Chinese Premier said China and Russia both have entered their own key development stages.

He said the two countries should expand mutual trade and investment, carry out comprehensive high-tech cooperation, deepen bilateral cooperation in gas and oil, nuclear energy, coal, power and other fields, promote regional cooperation and enhance all-around competitiveness of the two countries.

Medvedev, on his part, said the Russia-China strategic partnership of coordination has developed fruitfully and healthily.

The just wrapped-up 15th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian prime ministers was a success, witnessing the signing of a series of important cooperation documents, he said, adding it has yielded rich fruits and was encouraging.

Speaking of the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula, Wen said China has all along devoted itself to maintaining the peninsula's peace and stability, and opposed military provocations in any forms.

Under the current serious and complex circumstances, Wen said, all concerned parties should exert maximum restraint, and the international community should make more efforts conducive to easing up the tensions.

Restarting the six-party talks is an essential way to secure stability and denuclearization on the peninsula, he said.

Medvedev said Russia backs an early reopening of the talks and is ready to maintain communications and coordinate positions with China within bilateral and multilateral frameworks to keep peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.

Wen arrived in St. Petersburg on Monday to pay an official visit to Russia. In St. Petersburg, he held talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and attended the signing ceremony of a dozen of bilateral cooperation agreements.

(Xinhua News Agency November 25, 2010)