Foreign and Military Affairs

Russian President Medvedev visits HK

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-17 07:54

HONG KONG - President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev arrived here Saturday night for a two-day official visit, according to the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Medvedev, who led a business delegation to visit here at the invitation of Chief Executive Donald Tsang, is the first Russian President to visit the HKSAR since 1997.

Tsang will meet the Russian president in a bilateral meeting before hosting an official luncheon for him on Sunday at the Government House.

At an earlier time, Tsang said ,"During my visit to Moscow last August, I invited Mr Medvedev to visit Hong Kong with a business delegation. I am very glad that the visit is realized within such a short span of nine months. It will be a big boost to our bilateral relationship."

The bilateral relationship between China's Hong Kong and Russia has been growing fast in recent years. Since 2006, the annual bilateral trade has grown at an average rate of 25 percent. Last year, it surged by more than 60 percent compared to 2009.

Russian tourists have been granted visa-free access to Hong Kong since mid 2009. Last year, 87,000 Russian visitors came to Hong Kong, doubling the figure of 2009.

Financial co-operation is also increasing. Last year saw the first listing of a Russian company United Corporation Rusal in Hong Kong.