China-Russia cooperation flourishes in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, [Russia], Nov. 7 (ANI): In a move to deepen cooperation in various fields including economic and cultural, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in St. Petersburg. The 1.3 billion-U.S. dollar Pearl of the Baltic Sea project was launched in 2005 in St. Petersburg's southwest Krasnoselsky district. Shanghai Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. and seven other Chinese companies had participated in the project that has become China's largest non-energy investment project in Russia, reports Xinhua news agency. The Pearl of the Baltic Sea is a modern multi-functional residential and commercial zone, with a total construction area of 1.94 million square meters. More than a decade later, it has become a renowned local brand. St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko said at the project's 10-year anniversary ceremony, that the local stereotypes of residential districts were broken by the Pearl of the Baltic Sea through an environment comfortable for living, work and leisure. China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) in 2015 had completed a 13.8 million-cubic meter dredging operation project in the Bronka port in St. Petersburg. The cost of the project was approximately 110 million dollars. This is not only the first dredging project in Europe undertaken by China, but also an important part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The CCCC had gathered eight dredgers from five countries in the Bronka port to ensure the completion of the project. The dredging operation was finished by CCCC ahead of the schedule and Russia had highly estimated the quality of work. The China-Russia High-Speed Rail Research Center headquartered in St. Petersburg was created by Beijing Jiaotong University in collaboration with St. Petersburg State Transport University and Moscow State University of Railway Engineering on July 3, 2016. Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong was quoted as saying that the knowledge would be accumulated from higher education and research institutions, well-known enterprises and experts from the two countries by the center. Key issues such as high-speed rail development, and develop the sharing of research results and joint training would be focused the center, she said, adding that it would also provide technical and intellectual support to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The first legally recognized Chinese Medicine Center was established in Russia on the same day by Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in St. Petersburg. It has already become very popular among local residents. Besides this, St. Petersburg is visited by hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists every year. The city government in collaboration with the Consulate General of China in St. Petersburgd during this year's Spring Festival -- the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday season, organized a plenty of thematic events. Consul general of China in St. Petersburg, Guo Min has said that this is the best period of time in the history of relations between China and Russia. The cooperation between Russia's local authorities and the Chinese Consulate General is in practical demonstration of such a success, he added. (ANI)