On the afternoon of December 7, Chen Jining, Mayor of Beijing, met with his Moscow counterpart Sergei Sobyanin via video.

Chen pointed out that Beijing and Moscow, as the capitals of China and Russia respectively, bear witness to the epic journey of bilateral ties between our two countries. The year 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of our sister-city relationship. At a new starting point, the two cities should thoroughly implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state, continue to tap into the vast potential of cooperation and advance exchanges and cooperation in various areas, thus taking the partnership to the next level and bringing more benefits to our people. The two sides should enhance experience sharing and cooperation in COVID-19 prevention and control. Beijing is ready to share, as always, with Moscow its relevant experience without reserve. The two cities should seize the opportunities brought by the digital economy to boost collaborative innovation, leverage our strengths in science and technology, talent and other fields to advance cooperation in the digitalization of SMEs, and encourage universities, research institutes and enterprises to carry out joint research, launch start-ups and initiate innovation projects. We should open wider to each other and promote investment and cooperation. Beijing welcomes enterprises from Moscow to participate in its endeavors to build a national integrated demonstration zone for greater openness in the services sector and the Beijing Pilot Free Trade Zone, supports Beijing's enterprises in making investment and doing business in Moscow, and encourages enterprises from both sides to deepen cooperation in trade in services and digital trade among other fields. The two cities should also strengthen people-to-people exchanges and map out plans for promoting tourism, two-way student exchanges, and cultural exchanges in the post-covid era to reinforce our partnership and thus make new contributions to the long-lasting friendship between China and Russia. 

Noting the robust cooperation between the two cities in various economic and social sectors in spite of the pandemic, Sergei Sobyanin said that Moscow would forge closer ties of cooperation with Beijing in such areas as urban construction, traffic management, COVID-19 prevention and control, and scientific and technological innovation, and further cement the friendship between the two cities.

After the meeting, the two mayors signed online the Plan of Cooperation between the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and the Government of Moscow 2021–2023.

Also present at the meeting were Jin Wei and Yu Luming.

(Reporter: Yang Qi)