MOSCOW, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The first edition of the Russian-Chinese forum "Rostki" concluded on Friday in Kazan, the capital city of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, after participants discussed ways to boost practical cooperation between China and Russia.
During the two-day forum, participants engaged in dialogues regarding cooperation in various fields such as engineering, transportation, tourism, culture, and healthcare. They also visited exhibitions related to metalworking, welding, and the automotive industry.
Over 5,000 representatives from over 20 countries attended the event, and various cultural exchange and showcase events were organized throughout the forum.
In recent years, Russia-China economic and trade cooperation has developed steadily, Maxim Reshetnikov, Russia's minister of economic development, said at the plenary session.
Many Russian enterprises are reorienting themselves to suppliers from China, integrating them into their own production chains, and integrating themselves into the production chains of Chinese companies, which creates great potential for further trade growth, Reshetnikov noted.
Russia and China have more opportunities to carry out local cooperation and strengthen regional exchanges, Rustam Minnikhanov, head of the Republic of Tatarstan, said at the forum, adding that under the Belt and Road Initiative, the M12 Moscow-Kazan highway is scheduled to open to traffic by the end of this year. ■
