MOSCOW — The Sino-Russian trade increased by 1.8 percent in the first half of this year, showing a great potential and positive trends.

“Thanks to efforts by both sides, Sino-Russian trade halted falling in the first half of this year and began to grow, to total $31.72 billion, or a 1.8 percent increase over the same period of last year,” Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui told Russian leading media during an interview on August 1.

Li expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing multi-dimensions of their economies and markets, highly-complementary production and effective interaction mechanisms.

He called for developing energy resources through the integration of upstream and downstream segments in order to form production chains and deepen strategic energy cooperation.

Meanwhile, a dialogue platform should be established for bilateral innovative cooperation to increase production capacities and co-production, making both countries more competitive, he said.

The Chinese ambassador recalled the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China in June, during which both sides signed joint statements on mutual security and more than 30 deals on cooperation in various fields.

“This visit is of great importance, and the results are significant,” Li said.

He believes that the expected visit to China by Putin and the regular meeting of heads of the two governments during the G20 summit to be held in September will bring the two countries much closer.

“I am sure that the two political events will mark a further step in deepening relations and developing a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between them,” Li said.

Li said that the upcoming G20 summit shows China’s willingness to strengthen coordination with other countries and international organizations to jointly tackle global challenges. He deems it necessary for countries to coordinate efforts to cope with economic difficulties worldwide.

Li also proposed to use the G20 summit as a key platform for China and Russia to enhance their joint efforts towards a fair and rational international political and economic order, citing effective bilateral cooperation in fighting international terrorism and safeguarding regional stability.