Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 17: On May 17, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 8th China-Russia Expo.

Xi Jinping pointed out that with the joint efforts of the two countries, China-Russia relations have made solid progress step by step, benefiting the two peoples with tangible cooperation results. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. Standing at a new historical starting point, the relations between the two countries will usher in new historical opportunities and show broader development prospects.

Xi Jinping emphasized that after years of cultivation and development, the China-Russia Expo has become an important platform for promoting bilateral economic and trade cooperation. It is hoped that all walks of life in both countries will make full use of the opportunity of this expo, conduct in-depth exchanges, share opportunities, jointly contribute to promoting mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia, and inject new impetus into the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries in the new era.

The theme of the 8th China-Russia Expo is "Cooperation, Mutual Trust, Opportunities". It is co-organized by the Ministry of Commerce, the People's Government of Heilongjiang Province, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, and the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade. It opened on the same day in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.