BEIJING - China and Russia will work together to deepen cooperation in culture and humanities over the next decade, said senior Chinese and Russian officials here Tuesday.

At the 12th meeting of the China-Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation, Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong hailed the positive role cultural and humanities cooperation has played in deepening the friendship between the two countries and their people.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, she said, noting that the two countries have reaped rich fruits in bilateral relations.

During Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to Russia in June, the two leaders laid out a strategic blueprint for the development of bilateral ties in the next decade, she said.

China is ready to work with Russia to actively carry out the consensus reached by both leaders and comprehensively advance bilateral cultural and humanities cooperation, said Liu.

She called on both sides to fully explore the potential of the committee, further improve its cooperative mechanism, and jointly push forward cooperation in education, culture, health, sports, tourism, media, movie, archives and youth in an effort to consolidate the social and popular basis of bilateral friendship.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said the committee has played an important role in deepening mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

He said Russia will make concerted efforts with China to make new progress in deepening people-to-people friendship from generation to generation.