Putin, Xi call for promoting China-Russia youth friendship

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited All-Russian Children's Center "Ocean" here on Wednesday to promote friendship between the two countries' youths.

The two leaders attended commemoration events marking the 10-year anniversary of the center's hosting of hundreds of Chinese children from regions hit by a deadly earthquake in 2008.

Calling China and Russia good neighbors and good partners that are linked by mountains and rivers and pull together in times of trouble, Xi said the peoples of China and Russia have helped each other and shared weal and woe, leaving many touching stories to tell.

After a massive earthquake hit China's southwest Wenchuan County, which left nearly 70,000 people dead and about 18,000 others missing in 2008, Russia immediately sent its rescue team to the disaster-striken area, Xi recalled.

At the invitation of the Russian government, 996 children from China's quake-hit area came to "Ocean" for rehabilitation and the experience will be etched in their memories, the Chinese president said while addressing the children and teachers at the center.

Young people are the future of a country, the future of China-Russia friendship and the future of the world, Xi said, calling on the two countries' youths to enhance communication and mutual learning, and make joint efforts to carry forward the great cause of China-Russia friendship.

Putin, in his speech, said Russia and China have forged a friendly relationship with mutual trust and cooperation.

The friendly exchanges between the two countries' youths will further consolidate the foundation of bilateral ties and are crucial to the future of Russia-China relations, he said.

Noting that Russia and China have a tradition of hosting children from each other for recuperation, Putin said he hopes the young generations of the two countries will carry forward the profound traditional friendship between the two peoples.

Xi arrived in Russia's Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok on Tuesday for the fourth Eastern Economic Forum at the invitation of Putin.