In the meanwhile, military-technical cooperation between China and Russia are back on track after a period two quiet years.
RusData Dialine - Russian Press Digest
December 11, 2008 Thursday
Unfreezing the contracts
Aleksey Nikolskiy
Vedomosti, No 234, p.A3
HIGHLIGHT: Serdyukov to reinstate Russian-Chinese military-technical cooperation
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov will negotiate arms sale contracts in Beijing . Analysts say Moscow has once again started focusing on military-technical cooperation with China and India .
Serdyukov, who co-chairs the Russian-Chinese intergovernmental military-technical cooperation commission which adopts arms purchase decisions, will attend its December 11 meeting for the first time in three years. At its last meeting in 2005, the commission decided to sign a $1.1 billion contract for the delivery of 38 Ilyushin Il-76 Candid strategic airlifters to China .
However, Russia failed to fulfill the contract, said a source at a company, part of the Russian Technology Corporation (RTC), now growing into an industrial behemoth with assets in many sectors, from the defense and automotive industry to civil aviation.
The Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies said China accounted for 64.3% of Russia 's $6.1 billion arms export volumes in 2005, 38.3% of its $6.5 billion arms sales in 2006 and 21% of its $7.5 billion arms sales in 2007, respectively.
In 2007, Moscow and Beijing signed military-technical cooperation contracts worth just $700 million, primarily R&D and component delivery agreements, a source at a company, part of RTC, told the paper. An RTC spokesperson declined to comment on the issue. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service declined to specify the volume of 2007 Russian-Chinese contracts.
Konstantin Makiyenko, deputy director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, estimated that bilateral contracts worth up to $1 billion were signed last year. Reinstated contracts could stipulate the sale of Ilyushin Il-76 cargo jets and Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-33 Flanker fighters, a manager with an aircraft industry company said. "Ties with Chinese and Indian defense ministries helped the Russian industry to stay afloat throughout the 1990s and have once again become highly important," Makiyenko told the paper.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20081210/118784990.html
China, Russia vow to step up military ties: report
1 hour ago
BEIJING (AFP) — Chinese President Hu Jintao called Thursday for stronger military ties with Russia in talks with visiting Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, state media reported.
"As the strategic partnership between China and Russia develops, the relationship between the two militaries has also continued to become more consolidated and stronger," Xinhua news agency quoted Hu as saying.
With next year's 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations approaching and economic relations between them at historic highs, the two nations should also advance ties in other areas, Hu said.
"I hope ... to advance the China-Russian strategic partnership and the relationship between the two militaries from a new historical starting point to better and faster development toward the future," he was quoted as saying.
Following talks between Serdyukov and Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie, the two sides announced joint anti-terrorism military exercises for next year, the third joint exercises to be held between the armies of the two nations, Xinhua said.
The neighbours have also held joint anti-terrorism exercises with other Central Asian nations.
China's ambitious military modernisation programme over the last two decades has been largely achieved through the purchase of advance Russian equipment, including fighter jets, transport planes, warships and submarines.
Last month at the Zhuhai Air Show in southern China, Chinese officials were asking detailed questions about Russia's most modern fighter jet the Sukhoi-35, which made its maiden flight this year.
"They showed a very keen interest in all aspects of the plane, but no agreement to buy the planes was made," Aleksey Poveshchenko, adviser to Sukhoi's director general, told AFP.
"We are still in negotiations and maybe we will see something in the coming months."
China, Russia vow to deepen military ties
www.chinaview.cn 2008-12-11 13:16:14
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/11/content_10488689.htm
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China wants a closer military relationship with Russia because it is in the fundamental interests of both sides, a senior Chinese officer said here Thursday.
In light of the complicated and volatile international situation, enhancing China- Russia military ties would also serve regional and world peace and stability, Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when he met visiting Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.
As an important part of Sino-Russian relations and the strategic partnership of cooperation, Sino-Russian military relations have been constantly developed in recent years.
Anatoly Serdyukov backed Guo's evaluation on bilateral military and state-to-state relations. He said Russia was ready to intensify bilateral practical cooperation in every aspect.
As friendly neighbors, the two sides witness frequent state-to-state and military exchanges, and share similar views on important international and regional issues, which reflects the high level development of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation, he added.
Editor: Deng Shasha
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