Putin, Chinese Foreign Minister Meet to Trumpet Growing Ties To Counter U.S. Dominance

ussia and China on Friday stressed their common desire for a ``multi-polar world'' _ one not dominated by the United States _ and vowed to keep improving economic ties that President Vladimir Putin said are already improving fast.

     Putin met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, a former ambassador to the United States who suggested the trip to Moscow less than three months after his appointment, underscoring Russia's importance for Beijing.

     ``In the past few years, thanks to great contributions by our leaders and our governments, great positive changes have occurred in bilateral relations, taking our strategic partnership further,'' Yang told Putin in talks at the Russian leader's residence outside Moscow.

     Relations ``have reached an especially high level,'' Putin said, adding the volume of bilateral trade was increasing by up to 43 percent annually.

     Still, trade between Russia and China remains far outstripped by China's commercial ties to the United States, Japan and South Korea, and Moscow and Beijing have been pushing to add more economic substance amid burgeoning political ties.

     Communist rivals through much of the Soviet era, Russia and China have found common ground in their opposition to what they perceive to be U.S. dominance of world affairs. They have used their clout as veto-wielding permanent U.N. Security Council members to counter U.S. moves, for example, forcing proposed sanctions against Iran to be watered down.

     Following his meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Yang said close relations between Russia and China help ``foster the creation of a multi-polar world and the democratization of international relations,'' which he said both countries believe are ``the most important trends in history.''

     ``Efforts to create a new, more fair world order'' were at the forefront of cooperation between Russian and China in international affairs, Lavrov said.

     Lavrov said they agreed to work faster toward agreement on water resources shared by the two countries, and he stressed the need to update migration regulations.

     With Russia's population declining, residents of its sparsely populated eastern regions are concerned about the expanding presence of Chinese migrants.

     A 2005 chemical spill in northern China sent poisoned water flowing into the Amur River _ which divides the two countries _ and into Russian territory, straining bilateral relations.

     The two countries are slated to participate in major military exercises in central Russia next month, along with other members of loose political and military groups called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.