MOSCOW - Economic and cultural agreements have been signed at a forum on cooperation between regions along the Yangtze river in China and the Volga river in Russia.

The forum held Monday was co-chaired by Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Mikhail Babich, Russia’s presidential envoy to the Volga Federal District, in the southwest Russian city of Samara.

Yang said, as the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination entered a new stage, the forum was a step toward implementing the consensus reached last month by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a conference in Shanghai.

He said governments and enterprises of the two regions should put the programs into practice for mutual benefit.

Calling cultural exchanges an important part of the cooperation, Yang invited 150 young Russians from the Volga to visit the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze river next year for youth exchanges.

Babich said joint efforts should be made to fulfil pragmatic cooperation and boost people-to-people exchanges.

On Tuesday, Yang met with Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, in Moscow.

He said China was willing to carry out strategic cooperation with Russia in an increasingly comprehensive and closer way, and to work together to improve the national strength of both countries and promote world and regional peace, stability and development.

Matviyenko said developing Russian-China strategic coordination was the priority of her country’s diplomacy. (Xinhua)